Wang Yue-Hua, Du Guan-Hua
Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
J Asian Nat Prod Res. 2009 Jul;11(7):604-12. doi: 10.1080/10286020902843152.
Ginsenoside Rg1 (1) is a major active component of Panax notoginseng, a Chinese herb widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve learning and memory function. Increasing evidence suggests that beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) plays a central role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To elucidate the mechanism of 1 on improving the ability of learning and memory, we investigated whether 1 could affect Abeta generation or protect Abeta-induced neurotoxicity. The results showed that 1 could inhibit beta-secretase activity in vitro and also protect the PC12 cells against injuries caused by exposure of PC12 cells to 50 microM Abeta(25-35) for 48 h. The cell death, LDH release, NO release, ROS production, lipid peroxidation, intracellular calcium elevation, and apoptosis are associated events induced by Abeta that can be rescued by 1 in PC12 cells. In conclusion, 1 may be a promising agent for AD, and the mechanism is related to beta-secretase inhibition and protection against Abeta-induced cytotoxicity.
人参皂苷Rg1（1）是三七的主要活性成分，三七是一种广泛应用于传统中药以改善学习和记忆功能的中草药。越来越多的证据表明，β-淀粉样肽（Aβ）在阿尔茨海默病（AD）的病理生理学中起核心作用。为了阐明1改善学习和记忆能力的机制，我们研究了1是否能影响Aβ的生成或保护Aβ诱导的神经毒性。结果表明，1在体外可抑制β-分泌酶活性，还能保护PC12细胞免受50微摩尔Aβ（25-35）作用48小时所导致的损伤。细胞死亡、乳酸脱氢酶释放、一氧化氮释放、活性氧生成、脂质过氧化、细胞内钙升高和细胞凋亡是由Aβ诱导的相关事件，在PC12细胞中可被1挽救。总之，1可能是一种有前途的抗AD药物，其机制与抑制β-分泌酶和保护细胞免受Aβ诱导的细胞毒性有关。
