Traditional Chinese drug ShuXueTong facilitates angiogenesis during wound healing following traumatic brain injury

ShuXueTong injection is a traditional Chinese drug designed to treat the patients of “blood stasis and stagnation (yu xue yu zhi)”, including subacute brain trauma. However, the mechanism of the therapeutic effect of ShuXueTong on traumatic brain injury is unknown yet. We hypothesized that ShuXueTong may promote the brain wound healing by facilitating angiogenesis. Thus this study was designed to explore this hypothesis. By means of microvessel count, Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay and etc., the effect of ShuXueTong on the angiogenesis of brain wound was studied and then its influence on the VEGF/VEGFR-2 pathway were explored. ShuXueTong facilitates angiogenesis in the brain wound and improves the neurological function of the traumatized rats. VEGF expression in the lesion was elevated due to ShuXueTong induction. The in vitro experiment revealed VEGFR-2 and SRF expression in the endothelial cells were enhanced when exposed to ShuXueTong for merely 1 d. Moreover, ShuXueTong promoted the endothelial cell proliferation via the VEGF/VEGFR-2 pathway. The mechanism of the therapeutic effect of ShuXueTong on traumatic brain injury lies at least partly in the enhanced angiogenesis in the lesion.