Strokes are a common occurrence in the U.S. with around 800,000 reported per year, and 20 percent afflicting adults between the ages of 20 to 55. The timing of treatment after a stroke is crucial and can make a vast difference in the quality of the remainder of a person’s life.
In Hong Kong, nearly 3,000 people die of a stroke every year. About 85 percent of those patients suffer from ischemic strokes. To improve complications and reduce mortality, patients must arrive at the hospital for thrombolytic therapy (t-PA, also known as a hemolytic injection) within 4.5 hours after the onset of the incident. Otherwise, the efficacy of the treatment will decrease over time.
The research team previously conducted experiments and clinical studies on animals and found that after ischemic stroke, a key peroxynitrite molecule related to inflammation is produced in the brain, and its removal can protect the blood-brain barrier. AGNHW contains a substance called baicalin, a polyphenolic compound and flavone, that has also been found to help inhibit the production of this molecule.
In rat model experiments, the researchers simulated delaying t-PA treatment for five hours after the onset of ischemic stroke. The rat model group was orally administered AGNHW (257 mg/kg) within two hours of cerebral ischemia, and the dose was equivalent to the routine dose of one AGNHW capsule per day for adults. The research team’s previous finding confirmed that the dose of one capsule per day (equivalent to the dosage of a normal adult) for a week is safe.
The research team found that AGNHW can help gain 30 minutes of the precious golden time period of treatment and significantly reduce the damage to the blood-brain barrier caused by a delayed injection of t-PA in the rat model after five hours of cerebral ischemia. It reduces cerebral edema, neurological deficits, neuron apoptosis, and cerebral hemorrhage, resulting in reduced mortality. According to the team, the research results show that AGNHW can be used as an adjuvant therapy for thrombolytic treatment to improve the efficacy and survival rate of ischemic stroke and greatly reduce the side effects of cerebral hemorrhage caused by delayed treatment.
Prof. Steve Shen Jiangang from the School of Medicine, at the University of Hong Kong, added that the team is preparing to enter clinical trials. A recent meta-analysis showed that AGNHW could improve the neurological function of patients with acute cerebral infarction and acute cerebral hemorrhage.
