Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Cerebral ischemia (CI) is a condition in which metabolic stress increases when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted, resulting in oxygen and glucose deprivation. Later, during the treatment process, the ischemic area is reperfused, causing more neurological damage than the ischemic process. For this reason, developing protective practices in individuals at high risk of CI is much more important than developing treatment practices. Ashwagandha (ASW), an extract of the W.somnifera plant, is an agent with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic and neuroprotective effects. It has been reported in the literature that ASW is effective against neuropathological damage with different experimental models. This study aimed to explain the protective effect of ASW against CI/reperfusion damage. Methods: In the study, 30 Wistar Albino male rats were divided into 3 groups as Sham, CI, ASW+CI (n=10). A 60-minute CI was created using the intraluminal filament technique and sacrificed at the end of the 24-hour reperfusion period. ASW (200 mg/kg/day) was administered orally for 7 days before SI. Motor coordination was evaluated with the rota-rot test before and after SI. Infarct area was determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the differences between the groups. p

Key words: Cerebral ischemia, ashwagandha, Rota-Rot, TTC, neuroprotective