Pretreatment of 6-shogaol attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation in middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced mice

6-Shogaol can be extracted from ginger and has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which are potentially relevant to the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Oxidative stress and inflammation are closely associated with ischemic injury and can eventually result in neuronal death. The aim of this study was to evaluate if 6-shogaol exerts neuroprotective activity. To this end, we determined its effects on oxidative stress and inflammation in a mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced brain damage. In this model, MCAO was induced in C57BL/6 mice (30–35 g, 9 weeks) for 1 h, followed by 24 h reperfusion. Mice were treated orally with 6-shogaol (0.1 ml, 5 or 20 mg/kg) once daily for 7 consecutive days prior to MCAO. We found that 6-shogaol significantly reduced neurological deficit scores and the mean infarct area. Moreover, 6-shogaol improved the behavioral deficits in the MCAO group. In addition, 6-shogaol pretreatment dampened MCAO-mediated production of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokines. Mechanistic studies revealed that 6-shogaol inhibits the cysteinyl leukotriene 1 receptor (CysLT1R) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling proteins, thus providing a potential pharmacological mechanism for our observations. These results suggest that 6-shogaol can ameliorate the outcomes of MCAO and could thus be used as a potential preventive of stroke.