Abstract
ESP-102, an extract from Angelica gigas, Saururus chinensis, and Schisandra chinensis, has been used as herbal medicine and dietary supplement in Korea. Despite the numerous bioactivities in vitro and in vivo studies, its effects on neuronal networks remain elusive. To address the neuronal effect, we examined synaptic plasticity in organotypic hippocampal slice culture with multielectrode array. Our results showed an increase in excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), indicating the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), in the presence of ESP-102. In addition, the neuroprotective effect of ESP-102 was also tested by application of scopolamine to the hippocampal slice. Interestingly, ESP-102 competitively antagonized the preventative LTP effect induced by scopolamine. The scopolamine-induced reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and GluR-2 expression was also rescued by ESP-102. In terms of mode of action, ESP-102 appears to act on the presynaptic region independent of AMPA/NMDA receptors. Based on these findings, ESP-102 can be suggested as a novel herbal ingredient with memory enhancing as well as neuroprotective effects.
Highlights
ESP-102 is a standardized combined extract of Angelica gigas, Saururus chinensis, and Schisandra chinensis [1,2,3]
ESP-102 is a standardized combined extract consisting of extracts from Angelica gigas roots, Saururus chinensis herb, and Schisandra chinensis fruits in the ratio of 8 : 1 : 1. This ratio demonstrated the greatest efficacy in our previous studies and its effects were greater than those of Angelica gigas alone
We examined changes in long-term potentiation (LTP) and Long-Term Depression (LTD) with ESP-102 treatment
Summary
ESP-102 is a standardized combined extract of Angelica gigas, Saururus chinensis, and Schisandra chinensis [1,2,3]. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine peptide-induced memory impairment model [2] These findings suggest that ESP-102 might have important neuroprotective properties against the neuronal cell death and cognitive impairments often observed in Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, ischemic injury, and other neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects [1]. In order to induce LTP, the functional neural network should be in a healthy state and a high frequency of thetaburst stimulation (TBS) is usually applied to the specific network sites [5, 6]. Improved understanding of synaptic plasticity will help us verify the pharmacological effects of drug candidates and their effects on the neuronal network [9]
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