Polysaccharide of Schisandra Chinensis Fructus ameliorates cognitive decline in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Polysaccharides is an important ingredient of Schisandra Chinensis Fructus which often appears in ancient prescriptions for forgetfulness or dementia. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of our study is to investigate the effects of polysaccharides of Schisandra Chinensis Fructus (SCP) on animal model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a common disease of dementia, to elucidate the traditional medical theories with modern pharmacological methods and provide a reference for further clarifying its active mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hydrolysates of SCP were analyzed by HPLC. Y-maze, Morris water maze (MWM) were used for evaluating cognition processes of mice. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the deposition of Aß. The levels of cytokine expression including Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the hippocampus were detected by ELISA kits. Activation of astrocytes and microglia was assessed by immunofluorescence labeling GFAP and Iba-1. The phosphorylated state of various mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) signaling molecules (p38 MAPK, ERK 1/2, and JNK) and activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was studied by western blot. Histopathological changes were observed by H.E. straining. RESULTS: SCP could significantly improve the cognition and histopathological changes of AD mice, reduce the deposition of Aß, downregulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the activation of glial cells in the hippocampus. Further, SCP decreased nuclear displacement of NF-κB and MAPKs phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS: SCP could improve the cognition of mice, and it may play an anti-AD role by activating the NF-κB/MAPK pathway to alleviate neuroinflammation.