Scutellarin is a natural flavonoid that has been found to exhibit anti-ischemic effect. However, the effect of scutellarin on hepatic hypoxia/reoxygenation (ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)) injury remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the protective effect of scutellarin on I/R-induced injury in hepatocytes. Our results showed that scutellarin improved cell viability in hepatocytes exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Scutellarin treatment resulted in decreased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in H/R-induced hepatocytes. In addition, scutellarin reduced cell apoptosis in H/R-stimulated hepatocytes, as proved by the decreased apoptotic rate. Moreover, scutellarin significantly up-regulated bcl-2 expression and down-regulated bax expression in hepatocytes exposed to H/R. Furthermore, scutellarin treatment caused significant decrease in Keap1 expression and increase in nuclear Nrf2 expression. Besides, scutellarin induced the mRNA expressions of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Inhibition of Nrf2 significantly reversed the protective effects of scutellarin on H/R-stimulated hepatocytes. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that scutellarin protected hepatocytes from H/R-induced oxidative injury through regulating the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, indicating a potential relevance of scutellarin in attenuating hepatic I/R injury.

This study explored the clinical application of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting in treating traumatic brain injury (TBI). A retrospective analysis was performed on 100 patients who had hydrocephalus due to TBI and were admitted to Shanxian Central Hospital from February 2012 to June 2016. Among these patients, 50 underwent VP shunting surgery and were assigned to the experimental group. The remaining 50 underwent lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting surgery and were assigned to the control group. Twenty days after surgery, all patients were evaluated for clinical outcomes, neurological deficit scores and complications. The results were compared between the two groups. Patients in the experimental group were further separated into three subgroups according to the severity of hydrocephalus, and clinical outcomes were compared among the subgroups. It was found that the effective rate in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The effective rate in the mild hydrocephalus subgroup was significantly higher than that in the severe hydrocephalus subgroup, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The effective rate in the moderate hydrocephalus subgroup was significantly higher than that in the severe hydrocephalus subgroup, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The incidence of complications in the control group was significantly higher than that in the experimental group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The postoperative neurological deficit score in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In conclusion, patients with hydrocephalus due to TBI had better clinical outcome when treated with VP shunting than those treated with LP shunting. Moreover, a better outcome was observed when the patient had milder hydrocephalus. Therefore, the early diagnosis and timely treatment with VP shunting are of great importance for patients with hydrocephalus.