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Multiple Therapeutic Effects of Adjunctive Baicalin Therapy in Experimental Bacterial Meningitis

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Abstract

This study aimed to examine effects of adjunctive baicalin therapy to ampicillin for experimental bacterial meningitis in rabbits. After Escherichia Coli inoculation, mean leukocyte counts, concentrations of protein, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and lactate in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), brain water content and mean arterial and intracranial pressures substantially increased in the meningitis group. Ampicillin alone for 5 h markedly exacerbated the enhanced leukocyte counts and protein concentration, and showed no significant effect on the elevated CSF TNF-α, IL-1 and lactate concentration, mean arterial and intracranial pressures, and brain water content. Baicalin (7-D-glucuronic acid-5,6-dihydroxyflavone, C21H18O11) completely counteracted ampicillin-induced exacerbation, and further alleviated the enhanced mean leukocyte counts and protein concentration when combined with ampicillin. Adjunctive baicalin also significantly ameliorated the elevated CSF TNF-α, IL-1 and lactate concentration, mean arterial and intracranial pressures, and brain water content. Baicillin, as an adjunctive treatment exerted multiple therapeutic effects in experimental bacterial meningitis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (39700193) and by the Hunan Traditional Medicine and Drug Research Foundation (204048 and 2009054)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China

    Yong-Jun Tang, Hui-Ming Yan, Ming-Jie Wang, Fu-Rong Huang & Shao-Jie Yue

  2. Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China

    Fu-Wen Zhou & Zi-Qiang Luo

  3. Department of Neurosurgery and the McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Fu-Wen Zhou

  4. Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China

    Xin-Zhong Li

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  1. Yong-Jun Tang
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Correspondence to Shao-Jie Yue.

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Fu-Wen Zhou contributed equally as first authors.

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Tang, YJ., Zhou, FW., Luo, ZQ. et al. Multiple Therapeutic Effects of Adjunctive Baicalin Therapy in Experimental Bacterial Meningitis. Inflammation 33, 180–188 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-009-9172-9

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