BuyangHuanwu Decoction attenuates cerebral vasospasm caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats via PI3K/AKT/eNOS axis

The ancient Chinese remedy BuyangHuanwu Decoction (BHD) is used to treat qi deficit and blood stasis conditions. This work investigated the effect of BHD on cerebral vasospasm (CVS) caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Rats were randomly assigned into four groups: control group, SAH group, SAH + BHD [13 g/(kg day)] group, and SAH + BHD [26 g/(kg day)] group. The Garcia neurological scoring scale was used to assess neurological dysfunction. Hematoxylin and eosin stains were used to determine the extent of vasospasm by measuring the diameter of the basilar artery. Western blot was used to measure the concentrations of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, and phospho-AKT expression levels. RT-PCR was used to determine PI3K and AKT RNA expressions. Immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitric oxide (NO), respectively, in cerebrospinal fluid. BHD treatment ameliorated CVS and mitigated neurological dysfunction after SAH. Furthermore, the findings suggest that NO concentration was increased through the activation of classical PI3K/AKT signaling and the eNOS pathway. Thus, BHD showed multifaceted roles in preventing damage via decreasing vasospasm and improving neurological impairments caused by CVS after SAH.