Traditional Chinese herb Dihuang Yinzi ( DY) plays neuroprotective and anti-dementia role in rats of ischemic brain injury

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2009-01, Vol.121 (3), p.444-450
• Main Authors: Hu, Rong, Yin, Chang-lin, Wu, Nan, Cui, Gao-yu, Meng, Hui, Wu, Xi-gui, Hai-shui, Luo, Gang, Tian, Hu, Shengli, Shi, Jiantao, Lin, Jiang-kai, Feng, Hua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal disease models; Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; brain; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; central nervous system diseases; dementia; Dementia, Vascular - prevention & control; Dihuang Yinzi; dose response; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Extracellular regulated kinase; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases - metabolism; herbal medicines; hippocampus; human diseases; In Situ Nick-End Labeling - methods; ischemia; Ischemic Attack, Transient - drug therapy; Ischemic brain injury; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - antagonists & inhibitors; Lactate dehydrogenase; learning; Learning - drug effects; Learning and memory; Magnoliopsida; Maze Learning; memory; Memory - drug effects; neurons; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; neuroprotective effect; Oriental traditional medicine; pathophysiology; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; protein kinases; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Synaptophysin; Synaptophysin - metabolism
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2008.09.035

Traditional Chinese herb Dihuang Yinzi ( DY) is well known to treat neurological diseases by traditional Chinese medical practitioners. This study is to elucidate its neuroprotective and anti-dementia role in ischemic brain injury. The effects of DY on the pathohistological changes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, Morris water maze task, expression of synaptophysin (SYP) and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) of hippocampi of rats with ischemic brain injury were investigated. This study showed that DY not only significantly decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells but also reduced the LDH release of hippocampus of model rat. Morris water maze test showed that the ability of learning and memory of rats dramatically impaired after ischemic brain injury. However, DY ameliorated the impairment of learning and memory of ischemic rats. Furthermore, western blotting and immunohistochemical data showed that the expression of extracellular regulated protein and synaptophysin, which correlates with synaptic formation and function, decreased after ischemic insult. However, DY inhibited the reduction of ERK an SYP expression in a dose-dependent way. These results suggest that DY possesses neuroprotective and anti-dementia properties, at least in part, by preventing the loss of neural cells and synapses in ischemic brain injury.