Tae-Min Eom1, Hyeok-Hee Kwon2, Nara Shin2, Dong-Woon Kim3, Zhigang Fang4, In-Chan Seol1, Yoon-Sik Kim1, Hyeong-Geug Kim5, Ho-Ryong Yoo6. 1. Department of Neurology Disorders, Dunsan Hospital, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. 2. Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. 3. Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; Department of Anatomy, Brain Research Institute, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. 4. Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, PR China. 5. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA. Electronic address: kim12@iu.edu. 6. Department of Neurology Disorders, Dunsan Hospital, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: horongyoo@gmail.com.
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Yuk-Mi-Jihwang-Tang (YJT) has been popularly prescribed to treat aging related disorders over than hundreds of years in East Asia countries. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate possible modulatory actions of YJT on chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced neurodegeneration on hippocampus neuronal injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice were orally administered with YJT (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg) or ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg) before 4 h of stress for 28 days. Morris water maze task was completed from day 24th to 28th, and stress hormones and biochemical analyzes were measured. RESULTS: Four weeks of the CRS abnormally affected memory impairments by measurement of escape latency and time spent in the target quadrant. Additionally, neurotransmitters were also drastically altered in serum or hippocampus protein levels by CRS. Gene expressions for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor, 5-HT-transport, and tryptophan hydroxylase were also altered, whereas YJT led to normalize the above alterations. Additionally, YJT also beneficially worked on endogenous redox system as well as inflammatory reactions in the hippocampal neurons. We observed that hippocampal excitotoxicity was induced by CRS which were evidenced by depletion of phosphor-cAMP response element-binding protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1 and abnormally increases of acetylcholine esterase activities in hippocampus protein levels; however, YJT considerably improved the above pathological conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported YJT enhance memory function via regulation of hippocampal excitotoxicity-derived memory impairment, stress hormone, and endogenous redox, respectively.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Yuk-Mi-Jihwang-Tang (YJT) has been popularly prescribed to treat aging related disorders over than hundreds of years in East Asia countries. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate possible modulatory actions of YJT on chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced neurodegeneration on hippocampus neuronal injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Mice were orally administered with YJT (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg) or ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg) before 4 h of stress for 28 days. Morris water maze task was completed from day 24th to 28th, and stress hormones and biochemical analyzes were measured. RESULTS: Four weeks of the CRS abnormally affected memory impairments by measurement of escape latency and time spent in the target quadrant. Additionally, neurotransmitters were also drastically altered in serum or hippocampus protein levels by CRS. Gene expressions for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor, 5-HT-transport, and tryptophan hydroxylase were also altered, whereas YJT led to normalize the above alterations. Additionally, YJT also beneficially worked on endogenous redox system as well as inflammatory reactions in the hippocampal neurons. We observed that hippocampal excitotoxicity was induced by CRS which were evidenced by depletion of phosphor-cAMP response element-binding protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1 and abnormally increases of acetylcholine esterase activities in hippocampus protein levels; however, YJT considerably improved the above pathological conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported YJT enhance memory function via regulation of hippocampal excitotoxicity-derived memory impairment, stress hormone, and endogenous redox, respectively.