Protective effect of effective part of Acanthopanacis senticosus on damage of PC12 cells induced by MPP+.

The purpose of our research was to evaluate the protective effect of the effective part of Acanthopanacis senticosus (AS) on the damage of PC12 cells induced by MPP+, an in vitro cell model for Parkinson's disease. Cell viability and apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by MPP' were assayed by MTT and flow cytometry respectively in the presence or absence of the effective part of AS. The contents of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined by UV spectrophotometer. Our study showed that the survival rate of PC12 cells was markedly increased while cell apoptosis was decreased in the range of 200 to 400 mg x L(-1) of the effective part of AS. The contents of LDH, NO, NOS, MDA were reduced. Our experimental results indicated that the effective part of AS had the protective effect on the damage of PC12 cells induced by MPP+. The underlying mechanisms might be the combination of reduction of LDH leakage and decreases in the contents of NO, NOS and MDA, and finally prevent the apoptosis in PC12 cells and increase the cell survival rate.