Ginsenoside Rg1 alleviates corticosterone-induced dysfunction of gap junctions in astrocytes.
J Ethnopharmacol
; 208: 207-213, 2017 Aug 17.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28642095
ABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), one of the major bioactive ingredients of Panax ginseng C. A. Mey, has neuroprotective effects in animal models of depression, but the mechanism underlying these effects is still largely unknown AIM OF THE STUDY Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) dysfunction is a potentially novel pathogenic mechanism for depression. Thus, we investigated that whether antidepressant-like effects of Rg1 were related to GJIC. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Primary rat prefrontal cortical and hippocampal astrocytes cultures were treated with 50µM CORT for 24h to induce gap junction damage. Rg1 (0.1, 1, or 10µM) or fluoxetine (1µM) was added 1h prior to CORT treatment. A scrape loading and dye transfer assay was performed to identify the functional capacity of gap junctions. Western blot was used to detect the expression and phosphorylation of connexin43 (Cx43), the major component of gap junctions.RESULTS:
Treatment of primary astrocytes with CORT for 24h inhibited GJIC, decreased total Cx43 expression, and increased the phosphorylation of Cx43 at serine368 in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-treatment with 1µM and 10µM Rg1 significantly improved GJIC in CORT-treated astrocytes from the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively, and this was accompanied by upregulation of Cx43 expression and downregulation of Cx43 phosphorylation.CONCLUSION:
These findings provide the first evidence indicating that Rg1 can alleviate CORT-induced gap junction dysfunction, which may have clinical significance in the treatment of depression.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Astrócitos
/
Junções Comunicantes
/
Ginsenosídeos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Ethnopharmacol
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China