Effects of Macamide B on the Expression of SIRT1 in Brain Tissue of Neonatal Mice with Hypoxic-ischemic Brain Damage

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is the main cause of severe neurological diseases and death in newborns. Macamide B is an effective monomer extracted from Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers), which has important biological activities such as neuroprotection and neuromodulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Macamide B can exert neuroprotective effects on HIBD in newborn mice by regulating Silent information regulator factor 2-related enzyme 1 (SIRT1). A modified Rice-Vannucci method was used to construct the HIBD model of newborn mice. The pups were divided into the following groups: sham group, HI group, and Macamide B group. On the first and third days after hypoxic-ischemic (HI), immunofluorescence and Western blot experiments were used to detect the expression level of SIRT1 in the brain tissue of infants. The results of the immunofluorescence experiment showed that compared with the sham group, the expression level of SIRT1 is significantly decreased in HI group pups, while the expression level of SIRT1 in pups pretreated with Macamide B increased significantly. The results of Western blot experiments are consistent with the results of immunofluorescence experiments. Our data indicate that Macamide B may exert a neuroprotective effect on HIBD in newborn mice by up-regulating the expression of SIRT1. Macamide B may become a new medicine effective in preventing and treating HIBD.