PMC-12, a Prescription of Traditional Korean Medicine, Improves Amyloid β -Induced Cognitive Deficits through Modulation of Neuroinflammation

• Published in: Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine 2015-01, Vol.2015 (2015), p.1-10
• Main Authors: Shin, Hwa Kyoung, Choi, Byung Tae, Kim, Cheol Min, Lee, Jaewon, Choi, Young Whan, Park, Jung Hwa, Jung, Yeon Suk, Park, Min Young, Baek, Jin Ung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Mitogens; Nervous system diseases
• ISSN: 1741-427X; 1741-4288
• DOI: 10.1155/2015/768049

PMC-12 is a prescription used in traditional Korean medicine that consists of a mixture of four herbal medicines, Polygonum multiflorum, Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygala tenuifolia, and Acorus gramineus, which have been reported to have various pharmacological effects on age-related neurological diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether PMC-12 improves cognitive deficits associated with decreased neuroinflammation in an amyloid-β-(Aβ-) induced mouse model and exerts the antineuroinflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) stimulated murine BV2 microglia. Intracerebroventricular injection of A β 25 - 35 in mice resulted in impairment in learning and spatial memory, whereas this was reversed by oral administration of PMC-12 (100 and 500 mg/kg/day) in dose-dependent manners. Moreover, PMC-12 reduced the increase of Aβ expression and activation of microglia and astrocytes in the A β 25 - 35 -injected brain. Furthermore, quantitative PCR data showed that inflammatory mediators were significantly decreased by administration of PMC-12 in Aβ-injected brains. Consistent with the in vivo data, PMC-12 significantly reduced the inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells without cell toxicity. Moreover, PMC-12 exhibited anti-inflammatory properties via downregulation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways. These findings suggest that the protective effects of PMC-12 may be mediated by its antineuroinflammatory activities, resulting in the attenuation of memory impairment; accordingly, PMC-12 may be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD.