Chinese herbal extract dl-3n-butylphthalide A commonly used drug for the treatment of ischemic stroke as a novel therapeutic approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases

Dl-3n-butylphthalide is the active component isolated from the seeds of Apium graveolens Linn. A number of pharmacological and clinical studies have proven that dl-3n-butylphthalide is highly potent and multi-targeted with low toxicity and has a long time-window for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The mechanisms underlying dl-3n-butylphthalide include improving mitochondrial function and microcirculation, inhibiting apoptosis and reducing oxidative stress. Furthermore, dl-3n-butylphthalide may also be promising for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia and Parkinson's disease.