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Volume 18
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10.3390/nu18020362
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Article

Garlic-Derived S-allylcysteine Improves Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin Signaling After Brain Ischemia in Female Rats

by
Sandra Monserrat Bautista-Perez
1,2,
Carlos Alfredo Silva-Islas
3,
Maria-del-Carmen Cardenas-Aguayo
4,
Obed-Ricardo Lora-Marín
4,
Maria-del-Carmen Silva-Lucero
4,
Arturo Avendaño-Estrada
5,6,
Miguel A. Ávila-Rodríguez
5,6,
Jacqueline V. Lara-Espinosa
7,
Rogelio Hernández-Pando
7,
Martha Menes-Arzate
1,
José Pedraza-Chaverri
8,
Omar Emiliano Aparicio-Trejo
9,
Rosina Sánchez-Thomas
1,2,
Alejandra Figueroa
1,
Diana Barrera-Oviedo
1 and
Perla D. Maldonado
1,3,*
1
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
2
Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
3
Laboratorio Patología Vascular Cerebral, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City 14269, Mexico
4
Laboratory of Cellular Reprogramming, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
5
Unidad de Radiofarmacia-Ciclotrón, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
6
Centro de Investigación Sobre el Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados Sede Sur, Mexico City 14330, Mexico
7
Sección de Patología Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
8
Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
9
Departamento de Fisiopatología Cardio-Renal, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2026, 18(2), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020362
Submission received: 23 December 2025 / Revised: 15 January 2026 / Accepted: 20 January 2026 / Published: 22 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroprotective Roles of Dietary Bioactive Compounds)
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Highlights

  • S allylcysteine (SAC) supports post ischemic recovery, improving motor function and preserving recognition memory.
  • SAC exerted a regulatory effect on neurotrophin levels and activation of the AKT and ERK pathways.
  • These findings support studying SAC as an adjuvant nutraceutical therapy for ischemic stroke.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and neuroprotection therapies, or those that increase recovery, are not available. While the garlic-derived bioactive compound S-allyl cysteine (SAC) has shown neuroprotective properties, its subacute long-term effects remain underexplored, particularly in females. Methods: We evaluated whether SAC supports functional recovery after ischemia/reperfusion (IR), focusing on neurotrophin signaling, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), protein kinase B (AKT), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Adult female Wistar rats underwent 1 h of ischemia and 15 days of reperfusion. SAC (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered at the onset of reperfusion and daily for 15 days. Motor and cognitive deficit tests were performed. Infarct area, Ki67, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), pTrkB, pAKT, and pERK levels were quantified in the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. Results: MicroPET analysis revealed comparable glucose uptake between the IR and IR + SAC groups, indicating similar ischemic severity. SAC reduced infarct area (54.7%) and significantly improved motor deficits (53.9%), circling behavior (38.9%), and long-term memory compared with ischemia/reperfusion (IR) animals. SAC increased the proportion of Ki67-positive cells (4.3-fold in the cortex and 1.8-fold in the striatum) and enhanced neurotrophin levels, NGF (cortex), BDNF (cortex and striatum), VEGF (striatum), pTrkB, pAKT, and pERK (cortex and striatum). Conclusions: SAC supports post-ischemic recovery, improving motor performance and preserving long-term recognition memory, effects that could be associated with increased cell proliferation, neurotrophin levels, and activation of the TrkB, AKT, and ERK pathways.
Keywords: S-allyl cysteine; ischemic stroke; functional nutrition; BDNF; NGF; AKT; ERK S-allyl cysteine; ischemic stroke; functional nutrition; BDNF; NGF; AKT; ERK

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MDPI and ACS Style

Bautista-Perez, S.M.; Silva-Islas, C.A.; Cardenas-Aguayo, M.-d.-C.; Lora-Marín, O.-R.; Silva-Lucero, M.-d.-C.; Avendaño-Estrada, A.; Ávila-Rodríguez, M.A.; Lara-Espinosa, J.V.; Hernández-Pando, R.; Menes-Arzate, M.; et al. Garlic-Derived S-allylcysteine Improves Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin Signaling After Brain Ischemia in Female Rats. Nutrients 2026, 18, 362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020362

AMA Style

Bautista-Perez SM, Silva-Islas CA, Cardenas-Aguayo M-d-C, Lora-Marín O-R, Silva-Lucero M-d-C, Avendaño-Estrada A, Ávila-Rodríguez MA, Lara-Espinosa JV, Hernández-Pando R, Menes-Arzate M, et al. Garlic-Derived S-allylcysteine Improves Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin Signaling After Brain Ischemia in Female Rats. Nutrients. 2026; 18(2):362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020362

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bautista-Perez, Sandra Monserrat, Carlos Alfredo Silva-Islas, Maria-del-Carmen Cardenas-Aguayo, Obed-Ricardo Lora-Marín, Maria-del-Carmen Silva-Lucero, Arturo Avendaño-Estrada, Miguel A. Ávila-Rodríguez, Jacqueline V. Lara-Espinosa, Rogelio Hernández-Pando, Martha Menes-Arzate, and et al. 2026. "Garlic-Derived S-allylcysteine Improves Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin Signaling After Brain Ischemia in Female Rats" Nutrients 18, no. 2: 362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020362

APA Style

Bautista-Perez, S. M., Silva-Islas, C. A., Cardenas-Aguayo, M.-d.-C., Lora-Marín, O.-R., Silva-Lucero, M.-d.-C., Avendaño-Estrada, A., Ávila-Rodríguez, M. A., Lara-Espinosa, J. V., Hernández-Pando, R., Menes-Arzate, M., Pedraza-Chaverri, J., Aparicio-Trejo, O. E., Sánchez-Thomas, R., Figueroa, A., Barrera-Oviedo, D., & Maldonado, P. D. (2026). Garlic-Derived S-allylcysteine Improves Functional Recovery and Neurotrophin Signaling After Brain Ischemia in Female Rats. Nutrients, 18(2), 362. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020362

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