Liangxue Tongyu Prescription Alleviates Brain Damage in Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage Rats by Regulating Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Function

BACKGROUND: Liangxue Tongyu prescription (LTP) is a commonly used formula for acute intracerebral hemorrhage (AICH) in clinical practice that has significant ameliorative effects on neurological deficits and gastrointestinal dysfunction, yet the mechanism remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathway by which LTP alleviates brain damage in AICH rats. METHODS: The AICH rat models were established by autologous caudal arterial blood injection. The neurological function scores were evaluated before and after treatment. The water content and the volume of Evans blue staining in the brain were measured to reflect the degree of brain damage. RT-PCR was used to detect the inflammatory factors of the brain. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the tight junction proteins zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), occludin (OCLN), and claudin (CLDN) in the brain and colon, followed by mucin 2 (MUC2), secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), and G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) in the colon. Flow cytometry was used to detect the ratios of helper T cells 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral blood, and the vagus nerve (VN) discharge signals were collected. RESULTS: LTP reduced the brain damage of the AICH rats. Compared with the model group, LTP significantly improved the permeability of the colonic mucosa, promoted the secretion of MUC2, SigA, and GPR43 in the colon, and regulated the immune balance of peripheral T cells. The AICH rats had significantly faster VN discharge rates and lower amplitudes than normal rats, and these abnormalities were corrected in the LTP and probiotics groups. CONCLUSION: LTP can effectively reduce the degree of brain damage in AICH rats, and the mechanism may be that it can play a neuroprotective role by regulating the function of the intestinal mucosal barrier.