Nao-Fu-Cong ameliorates diabetic cognitive dysfunction by inhibition of JNK/CHOP/Bcl2-mediated apoptosis in vivo and in vitro.

Chinese herbal compound Nao-Fu-Cong (NFC) has been mainly used to treat cognitive disorders in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The present study aimed to investigate whether its neuroprotective effects might be related to the inhibition of JNK/CHOP/Bcl2-mediated apoptosis pathway or not. We randomly assigned STZ (60 mg·kg-1)-induced diabetic rats into control group, diabetic model group and NFC groups (low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose). The primary culture of hippocampal neurons were transferred into different culture media on the third day. The cells were then divided into control group, high-glucose group, NFC (low-dose, medium-dose and high-dose) groups, CHOP si-RNA intervention group, JNK pathway inhibitor SP600125 group and oxidative stress inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) group. NFC significantly improved the cognitive function of diabetic rats, and had neuroprotective effect on hippocampal neurons cultured in high glucose. Further research results showed that NFC could reduce the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in rats with diabetic cognitive dysfunction. NFC had inhibitory effects on CHOP/JNK apoptosis pathway induced by high glucose, and also decreased the levels of ROS and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential. These suggested that the neuroprotective effect of NFC might be related to the inhibition of CHOP and JNK apoptotic signaling pathways, and the cross pathway between oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage pathway.

Effect of Chinese herbal compound Naofucong () on the inflammatory process induced by high glucose in BV-2 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of medicated serum of Chinese herbal compound Naofucong (, NFC) on the microglia BV-2 cells viability and the transcription and expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in microglia BV-2 cells to further explore the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of NFC on inflammatory process induced by high glucose. METHODS: The microglia BV-2 cells incubated in vitro were divided into different groups: the control group (25 mmol/L glucose), the model group (75 mmol/L glucose), high glucose media containing different dose medicated serum of NFC. After being cultured for 24 h, changes in IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of surface marker CD11b of activated microglia was measured by confocal laser scanning microscope and Western blot. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p-p65 expression was analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: The model group obviously increased the expression of microglial surface marker CD11b and NF-κB p-p65 (all P<0.01), induced a signifificant up-regulation of release and the mRNA expression of IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The medicated serum of NFC could obviously down-regulate the transcription and expression of surface marker CD11 b and NF-κB p-p65 (all P<0.01), and inhibit the mRNA and protein expression (P<0.01 or P<0.05) of inflflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-α, in microglia BV-2 cells cultured with high glucose for 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of microglial activation and IL-6 and TNF-α expression induced by high glucose may at least partly explain NFC therapeutic effects on diabetes-associated cognitive decline diseases. Its underlying mechanism could probably be related to the inhibition of NFC on NF-κB phosphorylation.