Abstract
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•NR is neuroprotective, reduced infarction, improved motor and cognitive function.•NR ameliorated behavioral parameters, oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory markers.•Data indicate that NR has therapeutic potential against ischemic stroke in rat model.
Resveratrol is a nutraceutical compound that has exciting pharmacological potential in different diseases, including stroke. Due to its low bioavailability, the efficacy of resveratrol is minimal. Hence, the present study is aimed to synthesize and characterize nanoparticles of resveratrol (NR) followed by evaluating the neuroprotective role and elucidate the mechanism of NR in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Male Wistar rats (280–300 g) were pretreated with various doses (125 µg, 250 µg, and NR 500 µg; once daily, i.p.) of NR or vehicle (nanostructured lipid carriers) for 10 days. MCAO was performed for 2 h followed by reperfusion of 22 h. After 24 h of MCAO, animals were tested for the neurological outcome and were sacrificed for the analysis of infarct volume, oxidative, inflammatory, and apoptotic markers. NR-treated rats showed a substantial reduction in infarction compared to saline controls in parallel with improved motor and cognitive function. Further, NR pretreatment ameliorated oxidative stress markers and attenuated activities of antioxidant enzymes and Na+ K+ ATPase. The enhanced activities of caspases −3 and −9 and cytokines: interleukin-1β, and −6, and tumor necrosis factor-ɑ) in the MCAO group were significantly protected with the treatment of 500 µg of NR. Taken together, these data indicate that inhibition by NR has therapeutic potential in the ischemic stroke model. Further investigations into the therapeutic efficacy and post-treatment protocols are needed to confirm whether NR treatment could be a promising candidate for a stroke.