The extract of inflamed rabbit skin induced by inoculation of vaccinia virus possesses antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in acute ischemic stroke.

Acute cerebral ischemia remains a major cause for death and disability but current therapeutic options are limited. A mixture of biological agents extracted from the inflamed rabbit skin induced by inoculation of vaccinia virus has been shown to reduce ischemia-induced cerebral edema in vivo. In the current study we show that treatment with such a mixture can also significantly reduce the infarct volume and ameliorate the neurologic deficits in animals after acute occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Further studies demonstrate that this mixture possesses antioxidant capacities that can decrease the levels of lactic acidosis and increase the activities of superoxide dismutase in the lesional brain. It can also preserve the viability of neuronal cells under local hypoxia and hypoglycemia environments or after exposure to hydrogen peroxide in vitro. Such extract, therefore, may become a potential treatment regimen with promising therapeutic value in human subjects.