Huang Zhen, Mao Qing-Qiu, Zhong Xiao-Ming, Feng Chun-Rong, Pan Ai-Juan, Li Zhao-Yi
College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Sep 25;125(3):456-60. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.07.018. Epub 2009 Jul 25.
SYJN is a Chinese herbal formula, containing four herbs: Bupleurum chinense DC., Curcuma aromatica Salisb., Perilla frutescens (Linn.) Britt. and Acorus tatarinowii Schott. Previous studies on the formula in our laboratory revealed an antidepressant-like effect on animal models of behavioral despair. However,the mechanisms underlying such antidepressant-like effect are yet to be understood. The aim of this work was to verify the previously established antidepressant-like effects on cell level using corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells to see if SYJN possesses any neuroprotective properties.
PC12 cells were treated with 200 microM corticosterone in the absence or the presence of various concentrations of SYJN for 48 h. Then, cell viability, apoptosis, intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) concentration and caspase-3 activity were determined.
Following the exposure of PC12 cells to 200 microM corticosterone for 48 h, there were reductions in cell survival rate but increases in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. In parallel, corticosterone caused significant elevations in DNA fragmentation, [Ca(2+)]i concentration and caspase-3 activity. However, when the PC12 cells were incubated with SYJN at different concentrations (10, 50 and 100mg/L) in the presence of 200 microM corticosterone for 48 h, the above effects were evidently alleviated in a dose-dependent manner.
SYJN could generate a neuroprotective effect on corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, suggesting a possible action pathway of SYJN in vivo by decreasing the [Ca(2+)]i concentration and caspase-3 activity.
SYJN是一种中药配方，包含四种草药：柴胡、郁金、紫苏和石菖蒲。我们实验室之前对该配方的研究显示，其对行为绝望动物模型具有抗抑郁样作用。然而，这种抗抑郁样作用的潜在机制尚不清楚。本研究的目的是利用皮质酮诱导大鼠嗜铬细胞瘤（PC12）细胞产生神经毒性，在细胞水平上验证先前确定的抗抑郁样作用，以观察SYJN是否具有任何神经保护特性。
PC12细胞在不存在或存在不同浓度SYJN的情况下，用200微摩尔皮质酮处理48小时。然后，测定细胞活力、凋亡、细胞内Ca(2+)（[Ca(2+)]i）浓度和半胱天冬酶-3活性。
PC12细胞在200微摩尔皮质酮中暴露48小时后，细胞存活率降低，但乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）释放增加。同时，皮质酮导致DNA片段化、[Ca(2+)]i浓度和半胱天冬酶-3活性显著升高。然而，当PC12细胞在存在200微摩尔皮质酮的情况下，与不同浓度（10、50和100mg/L）的SYJN孵育48小时时，上述作用以剂量依赖的方式明显减轻。
SYJN对皮质酮诱导的PC12细胞神经毒性具有神经保护作用，提示SYJN在体内可能通过降低[Ca(2+)]i浓度和半胱天冬酶-3活性发挥作用。
