Effect of Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury on Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Penetrating Across the Blood-Brain Barrier

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a formidable obstacle for the delivery of therapeutic agents into the central nervous system. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) has been shown to be effective in protecting cerebral ischemia. However, whether HSYA could cross the BBB has not been elucidated. In this work, the effect of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury on the BBB penetration for HSYA was investigated in normal, sham-operated and cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats. The concentration of HSYA in homogenate of brain tissue was determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography and the protein was assayed by Bradford assay. The results showed lower concentration of HSYA could be detected in normal rats at 10 to 60 min after HSYA administration. The HSYA concentration in ischemic hemisphere significantly increased, while there is no change in non-ischemic hemisphere. These results suggest that HSYA can penetrate the BBB with weak ability in physiologic condition, but cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury increases HSYA penetration across BBB markedly.