Emodin Promotes Autophagy and Prevents Apoptosis in Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy through Activating BDNF/TrkB Signaling

Objective: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a severe and common complication of sepsis and can induce cognitive dysfunction and Apoptosis of neurons and neuroinflammation. Emodin has been confirmed to have anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, we sought to investigate the role of Emodin in SAE.

Methods: The cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method was used for the establishment of SAE in mice model. For treatment of Emodin, intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg Emodin was performed before the surgery. The Morris water maze and open field tests were carried for measurement of cognitive dysfunction. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was for histological analysis of hippocampus. Cell Apoptosis of hippocampus neurons was measured by TUNEL staining. Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in hippocampus tissue homogenate were evaluated by ELISA. BDNF/TrkB signaling-related proteins (TrkB, p-TrkB, and BDNF), autophagy-related proteins (LC3 II/I and Beclin-1), and apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, and cleaved Caspase-3) were detected by Western blotting.

Results: Emodin significantly inhibited Apoptosis and induced Autophagy in hippocampal neurons of CLP-treated mice. In addition, Emodin significantly ameliorated CLP-induced cognitive dysfunction and pathological injury in mice. Meanwhile, Emodin notably inhibited CLP-induced inflammatory responses in mice via upregulation of BDNF/TrkB signaling, while the effect of Emodin was partially reversed in the presence of K252a (BDNF/TrkB signaling inhibitor).

Conclusion: Emodin significantly inhibited the progression of SAE via mediation of BDNF/TrkB signaling. Thus, Emodin might serve as a new agent for SAE treatment.