Ischemic stroke triggers a whole cascade of pathological changes in the brain, one of which is postischemic inflammation. Since in such cases thrombolytic therapy is often not possible, methods that modulate inflammation and affect microglia become particularly interesting. We synthesized 3-(2-oxo-4-phenylpyrrolidin-1-yl)propane-1-sulfonate calcium(II) (Compound 4) and studied its anti-inflammatory activity in in vitro and in vivo models of inflammation and ischemia. Macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 was treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and Compound 4 at various dosages to study the cytokine profile using real-time PCR and cytometric bead array (CBA). Stroke in rats was simulated by the middle cerebral artery occlusion method (MCAO). Several tests were performed to characterize the neurological deficit and locomotor activity of the rats, and afterwards, postmortem, the number of astrocytes was counted using immunohistochemistry. Compound 4 in in vitro tests dose-dependently reduced the expression of interleukin-1β (IL1β), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) genes in cell culture and increased the concentration of cytokines: interleukin-2, 4, 6 (IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6). In vivo Compound 4 increased the orienting-exploratory behavior, and reduced neurological and motor deficit. The number of astrocytes that promote and support inflammation was lower in the group treated with Compound 4. The stroke volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no difference. We have shown that Compound 4 demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity by increasing the synthesis of anti-inflammatory and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, and positively affects the neurological deficit in rats. Thus, Compound 4 has a high therapeutic potential in the management of patients after a stroke and requires further study of its neuroprotective properties.
