The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors’ contributions CHL participated inside the style on the study. CYC and SYS performed investigation, analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. JGL, NYT and STK helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgments This study was supported by grant CMU100-S-21 from China Healthcare University, Taiwan. It was also partly supported by the Taiwan Department of Overall health Clinical Trial and Research Center of Excellence (DOH102-TD-B-111-004). Author particulars 1 College of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Health-related University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. 2Department of Chinese Medicine, Hui-Sheng Hospital, Taichung 42056, Taiwan. 3Acupuncture Study Center, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. 4Department of Chinese Medicine, China Health-related University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan. five College of Post-baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Healthcare University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. 6Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. Received: 29 June 2013 Accepted: 3 March 2014 Published: 7 MarchCheng et al. BMC Complementary and Option Medicine 2014, 14:92 http://biomedcentral/1472-6882/14/Page 11 ofReferences 1. Ozaki M, Deshpande SS, Angkeow P, Bellan J, Lowenstein CJ, Dinauer MC, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ, Irani K: Inhibition of your Rac1 GTPase protects against nonlethal ischemia/reperfusion-induced necrosis and apoptosis in vivo. FASEB J 2000, 14(three):418?29. 2. Lee SH, Kim M, Kim YJ, Kim YA, Chi JG, Roh JK, Yoon BW: Ischemic intensity influences the distribution of delayed infarction and apoptotic cell death following transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Res 2002, 956(1):14?3. three. Du C, Hu R, Csernansky CA, Hsu CY, Choi DW: Really delayed infarction after mild focal cerebral ischemia: a part for apoptosis? J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1996, 16(2):195?01. four. Endres M, Namura S, Shimizu-Sasamata M, Waeber C, Zhang L, Gomez-Isla T, Hyman BT, Moskowitz MA: Attenuation of delayed neuronal death after mild focal ischemia in mice by inhibition of the caspase family. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 1998, 18(3):238?47. 5. Cheng YD, Al-Khour L, Zivin JA: Neuroprotection for ischemic stroke: two decades of accomplishment and failure. NeuroRx 2004, 1(1):36?5. 6. Almeida RD, Manadas BJ, Melo CV, Gomes JR, Mendes CS, Graos MM, Carvalho RF, Carvalho AP, Duarte CB: Neuroprotection by BDNF against glutamate-induced apoptotic cell death is mediated by ERK and PI3-kinase pathways. Cell Death Differ 2005, 12(ten):1329?343. 7. Wang ZF, Tang LL, Yan H, Wang YJ, Tang XC: Effects of huperzine A on memory deficits and neurotrophic variables production right after transient cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in mice.Price of 1021-25-6 Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2006, 83(4):603?11.79060-88-1 Chemscene eight.PMID:24957087 Kim MW, Bang MS, Han TR, Ko YJ, Yoon BW, Kim JH, Kang LM, Lee KM, Kim MH: Physical exercise elevated BDNF and trkB inside the contralateral hemisphere of your ischemic rat brain. Brain Res 2005, 1052(1):16?1. 9. Yang LC, Zhang QG, Zhou CF, Yang F, Zhang YD, Wang RM, Brann DW: Extranuclear estrogen receptors mediate the neuroprotective effects of estrogen in the rat hippocampus. PLoS A single 2010, five(5):e9851. 10. Sun X, Zhou H, Luo X, Li S, Yu D, Hua J, Mu D, Mao M: Neuroprotection of brain-derived neurotrophic element against hypoxic injury in vitro needs activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphati.