Dragon’s Blood as a promising strategy against cerebral ischemia-induced memory processing impairment

Cerebral ischemia frequently triggers persistent learning and memory dysfunction, which is closely associated with structural and functional impairments of memory-related brain regions including the hippocampus, amygdala and cerebral cortex. Disrupted oxidative homeostasis, excessive neuroinflammation, synaptic degeneration and imbalanced neurotransmitter signaling jointly constitute cascaded pathological processes that destroy the integrity of hippocampus-amygdala-prefrontal cortex circuit. Dragon’s Blood, a traditional herbal medicine with multiple bioactive constituents, exhibits prominent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Accumulating evidence indicates that Dragon’s Blood and its major active components (loureirins and pterostilbene) can alleviate ischemic neuronal injury, stabilize synaptic structure, restore the balance of multiple neurotransmitter systems, and reconstruct damaged memory circuits. This review systematically summarizes the multi-target mechanisms by which Dragon’s Blood ameliorates cerebral ischemia-induced memory impairment, focusing on its regulatory effects on oxidative stress, microglial polarization, synaptic plasticity and interregional neural circuits. We further discuss existing limitations of current research and prospective directions for subsequent preclinical and translational investigations. This work aims to provide theoretical references for developing natural compound-based interventions against post-stroke cognitive disorders.