Tong Luo Jiu Nao, a Chinese Medicine Formula, Reduces Inflammatory Stress in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

AIM: The aim of this study is to extend the molecular mechanism of Tong Luo Jiu Nao (TLJN) for Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a modern Chinese formula that has been used to treat AD. METHODS: The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 strain (SAMP8) is one of the most appropriate models to study the mechanism that underlies AD. The levels of plasma amyloid ß (Aß) and the Aß deposits were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry. Immunoblotting was used to observe the effect of TLJN on inflammatory mediator expression in an senescence-accelerated mouse model of AD. RESULTS: Our data showed that the TLJN-treated groups exhibited a reduction in plasma Aß levels and reduced Aß expression. Moreover, TLJN effectively attenuated Aß-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinases and blocked changes in inflammatory mediator expression. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that TLJN might have protective effects and could potentially act to attenuate inflammatory stress in the pathogenesis of AD.

Antihyperlipidaemic and antioxidant effect of the total flavonoids in Selaginella tamariscina (Beauv.) Spring in diabetic mice.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the antidiabetic, antihyperlipidaemic and antioxidant activity of total flavonoids in Selaginella tamariscina (Beauv.) Spring (TFST) in a mouse model of diabetes. METHODS: Normal mice, mice fed with a high-fat emulsion diet and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice were treated with TFST for 6 weeks. Serum glucose, insulin and lipid, hepatic steatosis, production of the protein visfatin and antioxidant indices were evaluated. KEY FINDINGS: TFST significantly decreased the concentration of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, while it increased the levels of insulin and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol in diabetic mice. TFST also improved the results of the oral glucose tolerance test to a certain degree. Furthermore, both the free fatty acid levels in the liver and hepatic steatosis were ameliorated by TFST treatment. These changes may be be associated with decreased production of visfatin. Administration of TFST also significantly decreased the levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide and inducible nitric oxide synthase and increased the content of glutathione and the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase in the liver. No change in blood glucose levels were observed in the normal mice treated with TFST. CONCLUSIONS: TFST showed an excellent effect in reducing the high blood glucose level but had no effect on normal blood glucose level. The antidiabetic activity of TFST could be explained by its antioxidant and antihyperlipidaemic activity, which finally elevated the insulin sensitivity of liver.