Imperatorin inhibits mitogen‐activated protein kinase and nuclear factor kappa‐B signaling pathways and alleviates neuroinflammation in ischemic stroke

AIMS: Microglia‐mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathological process of ischemic stroke, and the effect of imperatorin on post‐stroke neuroinflammation is not fully understood. METHODS: Primary microglia were treated with imperatorin for 2 h followed by LPS (100 ng/ml) for 24 h. The expression of inflammatory cytokines was detected by RT‐PCR, ELISA, and Western blot. The activation of MAPK and NF‐κB signaling pathways were analyzed by Western blot. The ischemic insult was determined using a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model in C57BL/6J mice. Behavior tests were used to assess the neurological deficits of MCAO mice. TTC staining was applied to measure infract volume. RESULTS: Imperatorin suppressed LPS‐induced activation of microglia and pro‐inflammatory cytokines release and attenuated ischemic injury in MCAO mice. The results of transcriptome sequencing and Western blot revealed that downregulation of MAPK and NF‐κB pathways might contribute to the protective effects of imperatorin. CONCLUSIONS: Imperatorin downregulated MAPK and NF‐κB signaling pathways and exerted anti‐inflammatory effects in ischemic stroke, which indicated that imperatorin might be a potential compound for the treatment of stroke.