Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34211568›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021

Shikonin Attenuates Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion-Induced Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting Apoptosis via PTEN/Akt/CREB/BDNF Signaling.

Yanqiu Jia, Zhe Li, Tianjun Wang, Mingyue Fan, Jiaxi Song, Peiyuan Lv, Wei Jin

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Shikonin attenuates blood-brain barrier injury and oxidative stress in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by activating Sirt1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.The Korean journal of physiology & pharmacology : official journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yanqiu JiaDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6368-8592
Zhe LiDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0564-0758
Tianjun WangDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9860-6654
Mingyue FanDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7691-0516
Jiaxi SongDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7261-9641
Peiyuan LvDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8871-5224
Wei JinDepartment of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8578-3731
Hebei General Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Shikonin (SK) exerts neuroprotective effects; however, to date, its protective effect against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion- (CCH-) induced vascular dementia (VaD) has not been investigated. Therefore, the current study investigated whether SK could mitigate the cognitive deficits caused by CCH. The effects of SK treatment on the PTEN/Akt/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway and apoptosis in hippocampal neurons were examined in a rat model of VaD established via bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO). Fifty-two rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: sham, vehicle, SK-L (10 mg/kg SK per day), and SK-H (25 mg/kg SK per day). SK was regularly administered by gavage for 2 weeks. The results of the water maze test revealed that the escape latency in the vehicle group was significantly longer than that in the sham group, and rats in the vehicle group spent a smaller proportion of time in the target quadrant than those in the sham group. SK treatment reduced the escape latencies and increased the proportion of time spent in the target quadrant. Nissl staining showed morphological damage in the CA1 areas of the hippocampus in the vehicle group. SK treatment alleviated the injuries to hippocampal neurons. Western blot analysis showed higher p-PTEN and lower p-Akt, p-CREB, and BDNF expression in the vehicle group than in the sham group. SK administration reversed the upregulation of p-PTEN and the downregulation of p-Akt, p-CREB, and BDNF. The number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling- (TUNEL-) positive cells in the hippocampal CA1 region of the vehicle group was significantly increased. Treatment with SK decreased the number of positive cells. Furthermore, as marker proteins of apoptosis, bcl-2 expression was decreased and bax expression was increased; thus, the ratio of bcl-2/bax was decreased in the vehicle group. SK treatment upregulated the expression of bcl-2 and downregulated the expression of bax, thereby elevating the bcl-2/bax ratio. Moreover, the aforementioned effects of SK were dose-dependent. The effect of 25 mg/kg per day was more obvious than that of 10 mg/kg per day. In conclusion, SK inhibited hippocampal neuronal apoptosis to protect against CCH-induced injury by regulating the PTEN/Akt/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway, consequently improving cognitive impairment.

Identifiers

PMID34211568
PMCPMC8205575
OpenAlexW3170221666

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.