Abstract
Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, has been used as a tonic to enhance bodily functions against various ailments for hundreds of years in Far Eastern countries without apparent adverse effects. Ginsenoside Rb1, one of the most active ingredients of ginseng, has been shown to possess various pharmacological activities. Here we report that Rb1 exhibits potent neuroprotective effects against oxidative injury induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay demonstrated that incubation with 300 µm t-BHP for 2.5 h led to a significant cell loss of cultured rat embryonic cortex-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and the cell viability was pronouncedly increased by 24 h pretreatment of 10 µm Rb1. TUNEL staining further confirmed that pretreatment of Rb1 significantly reduced the cell apoptosis in t-BHP-induced oxidative injury. Real time PCR revealed that pretreatment with Rb1 activated Nrf2 pathway in cultured NPCs and led to an elevated expression of HO-1. The results of the present study demonstrate that Rb1 shows a potent anti-oxidative effect on cultured NPCs by activating Nrf2 pathway.
Highlights
In a biological system oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability to repair damaged tissues
We investigated the anti-oxidative effects of Rb1 on cultured neural progenitor cells (NPCs)
At the 5th day culture with this differentiating medium, NPCs successfully differentiated into βIII-tublin-positive neurons (Figure 1B), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytes (Figure 1C) and Rip-positive oligodendrocytes (Figure 1D)
Summary
In a biological system oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the ability to repair damaged tissues. Many studies provide evidence that ginsenoside Rb1 possesses potent neuroprotective effects on cortical neurons and dopaminergic neurons against glutamate toxicity [4,5], protects against cerebral ischemia in rats by promoting neurogenesis [6], enhances nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated neurite outgrowth of cultured chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia [7], prevents MPP+-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells [8], inhibits neuroinflammations in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease [9], and improves spatial learning and increases hippocampal synaptophysin level in mice [10] All these studies suggest that ginsenoside Rb1 has therapeutical potential in treatment of neurological disorders. The results of the present study would provide evidence on whether ginsenoside Rb1 can protect NPCs against oxidative injury
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