Effects of peiyuan tongnao capsule on working memory and the expression of glutamic acid and receptor in hippocampal area in rats with cerebral ischemia

Objective: To explore the effects of Peiyuan Tongnao (PYTN) Capsule on working memory, the content of glutamic acid, and the expression of NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) in rats with cerebral ischemia. Materials and Methods: 52 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group, nimodipine group, and PYTN group. The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCAO) was performed to establish rat model with cerebral ischemia in the model, nimodipine, and PYTN groups. Gastric lavage with some drug based on body weight conversion was performed daily for 4 weeks in the nimodipine and PYTN groups. The working memory of the rats was tested by Morris water maze. The expression of Nissl body in hippocampus tissue was observed by Nissl staining. The determination of Glu content in hippocampus was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. The expression level of NR2B in hippocampus area was determined using Western blot. Results: Morris water maze test on working memory escape latency. In the model group, day 1 versus day 4, there was a statistical difference (P < 0.05). In the nimodipine group, day 1 vs. day 4 displayed a statistical difference (P < 0.05). In the PYTN group, day 1 versus day 3 and day 1 versus day 4 were in significant differences (P < 0.05). The Glu content in hippocampus of the sham group was significantly different from that of model group (P < 0.05). The Glu content in the PYTN group was significantly different from that of the model group (P < 0.05). With regard to the expression of NMDA 2B in hippocampus between the sham group and the model, nimodipine, and PYTN groups, all were displayed statistical significance (P < 0.01). As the same, the expression of NMDA 2B in the model group was significant from that of the nimodipine group (P < 0.05) and PYTN group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: PYTN capsule was beneficial for improving working memory and protect neural cells in rats of cerebral ischemia, which may be associated with upregulation of the expression of Glu and NMDAR2B in hippocampus