Lee Bombi, Sur Bongjun, Cho Seong-Guk, Yeom Mijung, Shim Insop, Lee Hyejung, Hahm Dae-Hyun
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
The Graduate School of Basic Science of Korean Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2015 Nov;23(6):571-81. doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2015.027. Epub 2015 Nov 1.
β-asarone (BAS) is an active component of Acori graminei rhizoma, a traditional medicine used clinically in treating dementia and chronic stress in Korea. However, the cognitive effects of BAS and its mechanism of action have remained elusive. The purpose of this study was to examine whether BAS improved spatial cognitive impairment induced in rats following chronic corticosterone (CORT) administration. CORT administration (40 mg/kg, i.p., 21 days) resulted in cognitive impairment in the avoidance conditioning test (AAT) and the Morris water maze (MWM) test that was reversed by BAS (200 mg/kg, i.p). Additionally, as assessed by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis, the administration of BAS significantly alleviated memory-associated decreases in the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) proteins and mRNAs in the hippocampus. Also, BAS administration significantly restored the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 mRNAs in the hippocampus. Thus, BAS may be an effective therapeutic for learning and memory disturbances, and its neuroprotective effect was mediated, in part, by normalizing the CORT response, resulting in regulation of BDNF and CREB functions and anti-apoptosis in rats.
β-细辛醚（BAS）是石菖蒲的一种活性成分，石菖蒲是韩国临床上用于治疗痴呆和慢性应激的传统药物。然而，BAS的认知作用及其作用机制仍不清楚。本研究的目的是检测BAS是否能改善慢性给予皮质酮（CORT）后诱导的大鼠空间认知障碍。给予CORT（40mg/kg，腹腔注射，21天）导致在回避条件试验（AAT）和莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）试验中出现认知障碍，而BAS（200mg/kg，腹腔注射）可逆转这种障碍。此外，通过免疫组织化学和RT-PCR分析评估，给予BAS可显著减轻海马中脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）和环磷酸腺苷反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）蛋白及mRNA表达水平与记忆相关的降低。而且，给予BAS可显著恢复海马中Bax和Bcl-2 mRNA的表达。因此，BAS可能是治疗学习和记忆障碍的有效药物，其神经保护作用部分是通过使CORT反应正常化来介导的，从而导致大鼠BDNF和CREB功能的调节以及抗凋亡作用。
