Extract of Spatholobus suberctus Dunn ameliorates ischemia-induced injury by targeting miR-494

Cerebral stroke is a leading cause of death and permanent disability. The current therapeutic outcome of ischemic stroke (>85% of all strokes) is very poor, thus novel therapeutic drug is urgently needed. In vitro cell model of ischemia was established by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and in vivo animal model of ischemia was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The effects of Spatholobus suberctus Dunn extract (SSCE) on OGD-induced cell injury, MCAO-induced neural injury and miR-494 level were all evaluated. The possible target genes were virtually screened utilizing bioinformatics and verified by luciferase assay. Subsequently, the effects of abnormally expressed miR-494 on OGD-induced cell injury and target gene expression were determined. Additionally, whether SSCE affected target gene expression through modulation of miR-494 was studied. Finally, the effects of aberrantly expressed Sox8 on OGD-induced injury and signaling pathways were estimated. SSCE reduced OGD-induced cell injury and ameliorated MCAO-induced neuronal injury, along with down-regulation of miR-494. Then, OGD-induced cell injury was increased by miR-494 overexpression but decreased by miR-494 silence. Sox8 was a target gene of miR-494, and SSCE could up-regulate Sox8 expression via down-regulating miR-494. Afterwards, OGD-induced cell injury was proved to be increased by Sox8 inhibition but reduced by Sox8 overexpression. Finally, OGD-induced inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways was further inhibited by Sox8 silence but activated by Sox8 overexpression. SSCE ameliorates ischemia-induced injury both in vitro and in vivo by miR-494-mediated modulation of Sox8, involving activations of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways.