Steroid-Enriched Fraction of Achyranthes bidentata Protects Amyloid β Peptide 1–40-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in Rats

• Published in: Molecular neurobiology Vol. 56; no. 8; pp. 5671 - 5688
• Main Authors: Lin, Li-Wei, Tsai, Fan-Hsuan, Lan, Wan-Cheng, Cheng, Yih-Dih, Lee, Sheng-Chi, Wu, Chi-Rei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase - metabolism; Achyranthes - chemistry; Achyranthes bidentata; Alzheimer's disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides - toxicity; Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Astrocytes - drug effects; Astrocytes - metabolism; Astrocytes - pathology; Behavior, Animal; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; Brain - drug effects; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Cell Biology; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - complications; Cognitive Dysfunction - drug therapy; Cognitive Dysfunction - physiopathology; Cytokines - metabolism; Dementia; Dementia disorders; Ecdysterone - analysis; Exploratory behavior; Glutathione - metabolism; Herbal medicine; Hippocampus - enzymology; Inflammation; Inflammation - complications; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammation - pathology; Male; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; MAP Kinase Signaling System - drug effects; Maze Learning - drug effects; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Metabolic pathways; Microglia - drug effects; Microglia - metabolism; Microglia - pathology; Neurobiology; Neurology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Neurosciences; NF-kappa B - metabolism; NF-κB protein; Oleanolic Acid - analysis; Osteoarthritis; Osteoporosis; Oxidative stress; Peptide Fragments - toxicity; Phosphorylation; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rodents; Steroid hormones; Steroids; Steroids - therapeutic use; Traditional Chinese medicine; Translocation; Triterpenes - analysis; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Ursolic Acid; β-Amyloid; Oxidative stress; Neuroinflammation; Aβ 1–40; ERK/NF-κB pathway; Ecdysterone; Hippocampus; Achyranthes bidentata
• ISSN: 0893-7648; 1559-1182
• DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1436-7

The roots of Achyranthes bidentata Blume (AB) is commonly used in the treatment of osteoporosis and dementia in traditional Chinese medicine. Pharmacological reports evidenced that AB possessed anti-osteoarthritis effects. However, there is little literature about the anti-dementia activities of AB. The present study was designed to prepare steroid-enriched fraction of AB (ABS) and investigate whether ABS can protect from cognitive dysfunction and neuroinflammation against Aβ 1–40-induced Alzheimer’s disease (AD) model in rats. ABS only contained 135.11 ± 4.28 mg of ecdysterone per gram. ABS (50 mg/kg) reversed the dysfunction of exploratory activity and memory function on plus-maze and Morris water maze caused by Aβ 1–40 in rats. ABS (50 mg/kg) also decreased amyloid deposition, neurofibrillary tangle, neural damage, activated astrocyte, and microglial caused by Aβ 1–40. Furthermore, ABS reversed the phenomenon of neural oxidative damage and neuroinflammation, including the higher levels of MDA and cytokines, and the lower activities of antioxidant enzymes and GSH levels caused by Aβ 1–40 in rat cortex and hippocampus. Finally, ABS restored the activation of ERK pathway and decreased NF-κB phosphorylation and translocation altered by Aβ 1–40. ABS alone (50 mg/kg) promoted cognitive function, activated brain antioxidant defense system, and decreased brain TNF-α levels in sham group. Therefore, ABS has the cognition-promoting and antidementia potential. Steroids especial ecdysterone are major active components of AB. The action mechanism is due to decreasing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation through modulating ERK pathway, NF-κB phosphorylation, and translocation in Aβ 1–40-induced AD rat model.