Effect of berberine and Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. alkaloid extract on glutamate-evoked tissue transglutaminase up-regulation in astroglial cell cultures

Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. is a bushy‐spiny shrub common on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), containing various alkaloids with several pharmacological properties. This study assessed the effect of berberine and of the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots on the glutamate‐evoked tissue transglutaminas...

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Published in:Phytotherapy research 2011-06, Vol.25 (6), p.816-820
Main Authors: Campisi, Agata, Acquaviva, Rosaria, Mastrojeni, Silvana, Raciti, Giuseppina, Vanella, Angelo, De Pasquale, Rita, Puglisi, Salvatore, Iauk, Liliana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkaloids - pharmacology
Animals
astrocytes
Astrocytes - drug effects
Astrocytes - enzymology
Astrocytes - metabolism
berberine
Berberine - pharmacology
Berberis
Berberis - chemistry
Berberis aetnensis C. Presl
Cells, Cultured
excitotoxicity
glutamate
Glutamic Acid - pharmacology
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Plant Roots - chemistry
Rats
Sicily
tissue transglutaminase
Transglutaminases - metabolism
Up-Regulation - drug effects
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Summary:Berberis aetnensis C. Presl. is a bushy‐spiny shrub common on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), containing various alkaloids with several pharmacological properties. This study assessed the effect of berberine and of the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots on the glutamate‐evoked tissue transglutaminase (TG2) up‐regulation in rat astrocyte primary cultures, used as an in vitro model of excitotoxicity. The findings show that the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots consists mainly of berberine. Furthermore, berberine and the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots were able to restore the oxidative status modified by glutamate and the levels of TG2 to control values. It was found that berberine or the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots are able to ameliorate the excessive production of glutamate, protein misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial fragmentation, and neurodegeneration. Thus, it is suggested that berberine and the alkaloid extract of B. aetnensis roots, may represent a natural therapeutic strategy in the neuropathological conditions associated with excitotoxicity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0951-418X
1099-1573
1099-1573
DOI:10.1002/ptr.3340