Abstract: Aim To study the effect of berberine (Ber)onc-fos expression induced by focal cerebral ischemia.Methods Dot blotting assay was used to investigate the dynamic changes of c-fos mRNA expression in cortex and hippocampus during reperfusion after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)2 h in rats.Results c-fos gene expression was temporally increased in cortex and hippocampus of focal cerebral ischemia by 4.5, 4.7 times, respectively.However, the changes of c-fos gene expression could be inhibited drama tically by Ber 20 mg/(kg·d)×5 d, ip.The same dosage of Ber significantly reduced contents of water and calcium of brain tissues. Conclusions The inhibitory actions of Ber on c-fos expression induced by focal cerebralischemia may be related to its protective effect on brain ischemia.

Key words: berberine, cerebral ischemia, c-fos proto-oncogene, rat