Bu-Shen-Yi-Qi granule (BSYQG), a Chinese herbal formula, has been used for the treatment of ischemic stroke with proven efficacy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of BSYQG in neurovascular unit (NVU) and its mechanism of action on the thrombin expression in the cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) model. In the study, a rat model of I/R was established using middle cerebral artery occlusion operation (MCAO). Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups (n = 36): sham-operation; I/R; I/R + BSYQG(6 g/kg/day), I/R + Argatroban (0.56 mg/ml). Apoptotic cells in the NVU were detected by doubling-labeling using TUNEL assay and immunofluorescence. The dynamics of thrombin expression was detected using immunofluorescence on both sides after I/R injury. Compared with I/R group the numbers and rates of neuronal apoptosis in BSYQG groups significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in the ischemic cortex the thrombin expression at 4 h was significantly higher than that at 1 h (P < 0.01) and 2 h (P < 0.01) after I/R. BSYQG treatment significantly reduced thrombin expression both at 4 h (P < 0.001) and 6 h (P < 0.05) after I/R. Therefore, BSYQG may exert its protective effects in NVU after I/R injury by inhibiting thrombin expression. The results provided the foundation for further investigation in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

补肾益气颗粒 (BSYQG) 是一种中草药配方，已被用于治疗缺血性中风，并已证明疗效。本研究的目的是评估 BSYQG 在神经血管单元 (NVU) 中的治疗效果及其对脑缺血/再灌注 (I/R) 模型中凝血酶表达的作用机制。本研究采用大脑中动脉闭塞手术（MCAO）建立大鼠 I/R 模型。成年雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠分为四组（n = 36): 假手术；我/R；I/R + BSYQG（6 克/千克/天），I/R + 阿加曲班（0.56 毫克/毫升）。NVU 中的凋亡细胞通过双标记使用 TUNEL 测定和免疫荧光进行检测。在 I/R 损伤后，使用免疫荧光检测两侧凝血酶表达的动态变化。与I/R组比较，BSYQG各组神经元凋亡数和凋亡率均显着降低（P  < 0.05）。 此外，在缺血皮层中，I/R 后4 小时的凝血酶表达显着高于 1 小时（P  < 0.01）和 2 小时（P < 0.01）。BSYQG 治疗在 4 小时 ( P  < 0.001) 和 6 小时 ( P < 0.05) 在 I/R 之后。因此，BSYQG可能通过抑制凝血酶表达对I/R损伤后NVU发挥保护作用。研究结果为进一步研究缺血性脑卒中的治疗奠定了基础。