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IncRNAs transcriptomics elucidates the potential mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule in alleviating synaptic dysfunction in a murine model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Overview

Authors: Ke Song1,2,3, Hongrui Zhang1,2, Haoqi Liu1,2, Yuanyuan Li1,2, Yikun Sun1,2, Xinglu Dong2,4, Chenxi Tao1,2, Yannan He1, Zhenhong Liu1,2,4, Yonghong Gao1,2, Ying Gao1,2,4
  1. Key Laboratory of Chinese Internal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
  2. Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
  3. Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
  4. Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
Journal: Frontiers in pharmacology, volume 17, article 1722930
Dates: received 11 October 2025; accepted 23 January 2026; published online 5 March 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930 · PMID 41868129 · PMCID PMC12999579 · OpenAlex W7134002962
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: genetics / omics (modality), mouse (organism), stroke (population), cellular / molecular (subfield)
Methods: Statistics, Smoothing, state filtering, decompositions
Keywords: ischemic stroke, long noncoding RNA, Naoshuantong capsule, synaptic plasticity, transcriptome analysis
Topic: Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis (Complementary and alternative medicine, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (2022-06); Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 52 references in the paper

Abstract

Background: Naoshuantong capsule (NST), a Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation, is used for ischemic stroke treatment; however, its molecular mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanistic basis of NST using long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) transcriptomics.

Methods: The metabolites of NST were analyzed. Additionally, its systemically absorbed metabolites (in plasma) and brain-distributed metabolites were identified using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The therapeutic effects of NST were evaluated in a mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) using neurological scoring, behavioral testing, cerebral blood flow, and brain tissue staining. LncRNA and mRNA expression profiles were analyzed using the Agilent Mouse competing endogenous RNA microarray, followed by gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses. Differentially expressed transcripts were validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Results: UHPLC-MS/MS analysis detected 129 metabolites in NST; 33 metabolites in plasma; and 17 metabolites in brain tissue of rats administered with NST. NST treatment significantly reduced neurological deficit scores (Longa score), decreased beam-crossing latency, and increased forelimb grip strength in middle MCAO mice, indicating improved neurological function. Additionally, NST treatment enhanced cerebral blood flow recovery, ameliorated pathological damage, restored neuronal architecture, and increased Nissl-stained neuron density in peri-infarct brain tissue. NST also attenuated cellular apoptosis by upregulating Bcl-2 expression and downregulating Bax protein levels, exerting neuroprotective effects. Notably, NST treatment reversed 177 out of 5,378 differentially expressed IncRNAs and 52 out of 5,540 differentially expressed mRNAs that were dysregulated between the model and sham groups. These NST-modulated IncRNAs participate in key biological processes, including synaptic modulation, apoptosis regulation, and neuronal function. A synaptic plasticity-associated lncRNA-mRNA coexpression network was developed using NST-reversed transcripts. Validation using qRT-PCR confirmed the upregulation of NONMMUT050688.2 and NONMMUT044667.2, and the downregulation of NONMMUT092269.1 and NONMMUT101071.1, the downregulation of Nrn1, the upregulation of Grn, and the downward trend in Rasd2 expression in MCAO mice. All these alterations were reversed through NST treatment. In vivo experiments confirmed the efficacy of NST in ameliorating memory deficits, mitigating synaptic structural damage, and upregulating key synaptic protein expression (SYN and PSD95) in mice.

Conclusion: NST may protect against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by modulating lncRNA and mRNA expressions to enhance synaptic plasticity, thereby preserving neuronal structure and function.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

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Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in the study are publicly available. This data can be found here: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31302553. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author(s).

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, pages, dates, 11 authors, 5 keywords, 4 funders, 52 references.

Cite

This paper

Song, K., Zhang, H., Liu, H., Li, Y., Sun, Y., Dong, X., Tao, C., He, Y., Liu, Z., Gao, Y., & Gao, Y. (2026). IncRNAs transcriptomics elucidates the potential mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule in alleviating synaptic dysfunction in a murine model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Frontiers in pharmacology, 17, 1722930. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930

BibTeX

@article{song2026incrnas,
author = {Song, Ke and Zhang, Hongrui and Liu, Haoqi and Li, Yuanyuan and Sun, Yikun and Dong, Xinglu and Tao, Chenxi and He, Yannan and Liu, Zhenhong and Gao, Yonghong and Gao, Ying},
title = {{IncRNAs transcriptomics elucidates the potential mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule in alleviating synaptic dysfunction in a murine model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury}},
journal = {Frontiers in pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {17},
pages = {1722930},
publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},
issn = {1663-9812},
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930},
pmid = {41868129},
pmcid = {PMC12999579}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Song, Ke
AU - Zhang, Hongrui
AU - Liu, Haoqi
AU - Li, Yuanyuan
AU - Sun, Yikun
AU - Dong, Xinglu
AU - Tao, Chenxi
AU - He, Yannan
AU - Liu, Zhenhong
AU - Gao, Yonghong
AU - Gao, Ying
TI - IncRNAs transcriptomics elucidates the potential mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule in alleviating synaptic dysfunction in a murine model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury
T2 - Frontiers in pharmacology
J2 - Front Pharmacol
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/03/05
VL - 17
SP - 1722930
SN - 1663-9812
PB - Frontiers Media SA
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1722930
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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