Objective      To determine the effect of Yangxue Qingnao Granule

a drug based on traditional Chinese medicine

on axonal regeneration in rats after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion and investigate its potential  mechanism.       Methods      Forty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (SD) were randomly divided into sham-operation group

cerebral ischemia/reperfusion group

vehicle group and Yangxue Qingnao Granule treatment group. After the establishment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

Yangxue Qingnao Granule was given the rats at 2 g/kg (i.g.)

once per day for 2 weeks. The expression of repulsive guidance molecular A (RGMa) was detected by immunohistochemical assay and Western blotting. NF-200 immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate axonal regeneration. Neurological function recovery was evaluated by modified neurological severity score (mNSS) at 2

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14 and 28 d after ischemic reperfusion.       Results      The expression of RGMa at protein level in ischemic cortex and hippocampus was significantly lower (P0.01)

but that of NF-200 was increased (P0.05) in treatment group than cerebral ischemia/reperfusion group. The rats in Yangxue Qingnao Granule group exhibited a better neurological function recovery (P0.05).       Conculsion      Yangxue Qingnao Granule improves neurological function recovery after focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion in rats

which may be due to its down-regulating RGMa and promoting axonal regeneration.