AIM: To study the effect and mechanism of salvia ligustrazine on non-arteriti anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

METHODS: A total of 60 cases of non-arteriti anterior ischemic optic neuropathy were randomly divided into two groups. The control group(n=30 cases)was treated with oral prednisone acetate tablets and injection of compound anisodine. The experimental group(n=30 cases)was the same to the control group and added intravenous salvia ligustrazine, the period of treatment was 14d. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were detected by ELISA, and the protein expression levels of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS: The best corrected visual acuity was improved in both groups. The plasma levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were significantly lowed in the experimental group than the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05). The protein expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 in the two groups were different from those before treatment(P<0.05), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Salvia ligustrazine promotes the recovery of visual function by reducing the level of inflammation and inhibiting cell apoptosis in body.