The Neuroprotective Effects of Dendropanax morbifera Water Extract on Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice.

This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Dendropanax morbifera leaves and stems (DMLS) water extract on scopolamine (SCO)-induced memory impairment in mice. First, we conducted experiments to determine the protective effect of DMLS on neuronal cells. Treatment with DMLS showed a significant protective effect against neurotoxicity induced by Aß(25-35) or H2O2. After confirming the neuroprotective effects of DMLS, we conducted animal studies. We administered DMLS orally at concentrations of 125, 250, and 375 mg/kg for 3 weeks. In the Y-maze test, SCO decreased spontaneous alternation, but treatment with DMLS or donepezil increased spontaneous alternation. In the Morris water-maze test, the SCO-treated group showed increased platform reach time and decreased swim time on the target platform. The passive avoidance task found that DMLS ingestion increased the recognition index in short-term memory. Furthermore, memory impairment induced by SCO reduced the ability to recognize novel objects. In the Novel Object Recognition test, recognition improved with DMLS or donepezil treatment. In the mouse brain, except for the cerebellum, acetylcholinesterase activity increased in the SCO group and decreased in the DMLS and donepezil groups. We measured catalase and malondialdehyde, which are indicators of antioxidant effectiveness, and found that oxidative stress increased with SCO but was mitigated by DMLS or donepezil treatment. Thus, our findings suggest that ingestion of DMLS restored memory impairment by protecting neuronal cells from Aß(25-35) or H2O2-induced neurotoxicity, and by reducing oxidative stress.

Valeriana officinalis root extract suppresses physical stress by electric shock and psychological stress by nociceptive stimulation-evoked responses by decreasing the ratio of monoamine neurotransmitters to their metabolites.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigate the effects of valerian root extracts (VE) on physical and psychological stress responses by utilizing a communication box. METHODS: Eight-week-old ICR mice received oral administration of VE (100 mg/kg/0.5 ml) or equal volume of distilled water in every day for 3 weeks prior to being subjected to physical or psychological stress for 3 days, which are induced by communication box developed for physical electric shock and psychological stress by nociceptive stimulation-evoked responses. The stress condition was assessed by forced swimming test and serum corticosterone levels. In addition, norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT), and their metabolites such as 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol sulfate (MHPG-SO4) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in the hippocampus and amygdala at 1 h after final stress condition, respectively. RESULTS: Immobility time and corticosterone levels were significantly increased in both the physical and psychological stress groups compared to the control group. The administration of VE significantly reduced these parameters in both the physical and psychological stress groups. In addition, compared to the control group, physical and psychological stress groups showed significantly increased levels of MHPG-SO4 and 5-HIAA in the hippocampus and amygdala, respectively. The administration of VE significantly suppressed the increase of MHPG-SO4 and 5-HIAA in the two stress groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that VE can suppress physical and psychological stress responses by modulating the changes in 5-HT and NE turnover in the hippocampus and amygdala.

The mixture of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. extract produces analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model.

Pain and inflammation typically manifest in patients with arthritis. It is now widely known that Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb (AP) and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SM) exert anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects. We have previously reported that the mixture extract (ME) from AP and SM produces antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in gout arthritis and monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced arthritis models. In the present study, we assessed the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects on the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. The antinociceptive effects in mice were measured using the von Frey test. ME administered once or for one week (once per day) once, and one-week reduced the pain in a dose-dependent manner (from 50 to 100 mg/kg) in the CIA-induced osteoarthritis (OA) model. ME treatment also reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in plasma and ankle tissues. Furthermore, COX-1, COX-2, NF-κB, TNF-α, and IL-6 expressions were attenuated after ME treatment. In most experiments, the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects induced by ME treatment were almost equal to or slightly better than those induced by Perna canaliculus (PC) treatment, which was used as a positive control. Our results suggest that ME possesses antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects, indicating its potential as a therapeutic agent for arthritis treatment.

The Anti-Inflammatory and the Antinociceptive Effects of Mixed Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge Extract.

Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint. Previously, we reported that the mixture extract (ME) from Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. (AP) and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SM) could ameliorate gout arthritis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of ME and characterize the mechanism. We compared the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of a positive control, Perna canaliculus powder (PC). The results showed that one-off and one-week treatment of ME reduced the pain threshold in a dose-dependent manner (from 10 to 100 mg/kg) in the mono-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA) model. ME also reduced the plasma TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP levels. In LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, ME inhibited the release of NO, PGE2, LTB4, and IL-6, increased the phosphorylation of PPAR-γ protein, and downregulated TNF-α and MAPKs proteins expression in a concentration-dependent (from 1 to 100 µg/mL) manner. Furthermore, ME ameliorated the progression of ear edema in mice. In most of the experiments, ME-induced effects were almost equal to, or were higher than, PC-induced effects. Conclusions: The data presented here suggest that ME shows anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities, indicating ME may be a potential therapeutic for arthritis treatment.

Valeriana officinalis Extracts Ameliorate Neuronal Damage by Suppressing Lipid Peroxidation in the Gerbil Hippocampus Following Transient Cerebral Ischemia.

As a medicinal plant, the roots of Valeriana officinalis have been used as a sedative and tranquilizer. In the present study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of valerian root extracts (VE) on the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils after 5 min of transient cerebral ischemia. Gerbils were administered VE orally once a day for 3 weeks, subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury, and continued on VE for 3 weeks. The administration of 100 mg/kg VE (VE100 group) significantly reduced the ischemia-induced spontaneous motor hyperactivity 1 day after ischemia/reperfusion. Four days after ischemia/reperfusion, animals treated with VE showed abundant cresyl violet-positive neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region when compared to the vehicle or 25 mg/kg VE-treated groups. In addition, the VE treatment markedly decreased microglial activation in the hippocampal CA1 region 4 days after ischemia. Compared to the other groups, the VE100 group showed the lowest level of lipid peroxidation during the first 24 h after ischemia/reperfusion. In summary, the findings in this study suggest that pretreatment with VE has protective effects against ischemic injury in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons by decreasing microglial activation and lipid peroxidation.