effect of cinnamon on antioxidant content and zo-1 gene expression in the brain following middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats receiving high-fatdiet

Introduction: despite all the research, no definitive treatment for stroke has been found yet. cinnamon is a plant that has been shown to have health benefits effects. in this study, the effect of pretreatment of cinnamon on ischemia tolerance and the expression of zonula occludens 1(zo-1) gene in the brains of rats receiving a high-fat diet was investigated. methods: in this study, 72 rats were divided into six groups: control, sham, model (stroke), vehicle, lovastatin, and cinnamon. all groups except the control group received a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. then the last three groups received carboxymethyl cellulose, lovastatin, and cinnamon 130 mg accordingly for 6 weeks. stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (mcao). twelve hours later, the animals were examined for the extent of serum lipids, brain edema, anti-oxidant capacity and gene expression of zo-1. results: cinnamon was effective in reducing serum cholesterol and triglyceride. cinnamon treatment significantly diminished brain edema. it also restored anti-oxidant capacity. zo-1 gene expression was increased in the ischemic brains after cinnamon treatment (p< 0.05). conclusion: pretreatment with cin130 had beneficial effects on the serum lipid profile, edema volume in ischemic brain and anti-oxidant capacity. it increased zo-1 gene expression and so maintained cellular integrity and prevented the subsequent edema.