Abstract
Reactive oxygen species promote the oxidation of cellar DNA, lipids, and proteins, and are overproduced
during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Ascidiacea-derived plasmalogen (aPlas) has both an anti-oxidative
molecular structure of a vinyl ether bond at the sn-1 position and the bioactivity of DHA and EPA. In the present
study, we examined the possible therapeutic potential of aPlas for 30 min of transient middle cerebral artery
occlusion (tMCAO) mice. Vehicle or aPlas (10 mg/kg/day) were administrated intraperitoneally for two weeks
before tMCAO. The mice were continuously treated with vehicle or aPlas, and were sacrificed after 5 days of
reperfusion. aPlas treatment showed a neuroprotective effect on tMCAO mice. aPlas significantly decreased
infarct volume (vehicle: 90.9 ± 21.3 mm3, aPlas: 64.5 ± 23.4 mm3, *p under 0.05) and reactive oxygen metabolite
levels in serum (d-ROM test; vehicle: 182.0 ± 15.5 CARR U, aPlas: 163.7 ± 12.7 CARR U, *p under 0.05). Moreover,
aPlas protected the brain against oxidative damage to DNA/RNA and lipid peroxidation, suppressed the
activation of microglia M1, and promoted the regeneration of neurons. These results suggest that aPlas may be
a safe therapeutic candidate against ischemic stroke.
