The Nrf2-associated regulation of AQP4 contributes to ginseng neuroprotection. (A) The representative images of AQP4 in the peri-infarct areas of cortex and striatum. (B) Quantitative analysis showed that ischemia injury led to a more than 5-fold increase in the cortex of WT mice, but not Nrf2−/− mice. The irregular distribution pattern and some of the fragmentized AQP4 signals suggested the decline of this transmembrane water protein. In contrast, ginseng-pretreated mice displayed a markedly lower expression level of AQP4 with a regular distribution pattern. Interestingly, no significant difference was observed in the indicated striatum region among all post-pdMCAO groups. * p < 0.05, ∆∆
p < 0.01. n = 3–4 per sham group, n = 5–7 per ischemic group. AQP4: aquaporin 4; Gin: Ginseng; Veh: vehicle; n.s.: no significance.