Impact of plant extracts tested in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment on cell survival and energy metabolism in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 24; no. 10; pp. 1549 - 1553
• Main Authors: Schmidt, Andreas Johannes, Krieg, Jürgen-Christian, Hemmeter, Ulrich Michael, Kircher, Tilo, Schulz, Eberhard, Clement, Hans-Willi, Heiser, Philip
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.10.2010; Wiley
• Subjects: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - drug therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Line, Tumor; cell survival; Cell Survival - drug effects; Energy Metabolism; Enzogenol; Flavonoids - pharmacology; General pharmacology; Humans; Hypericum; Hypericum - chemistry; Hypericum perforatum; Medical sciences; neuroblastoma cells; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Pycnogenol; Quercetin - analogs & derivatives; Quercetin - pharmacology; Hypericum perforatum; Energy metabolism; Guttiferae; Hypericum; Neuroblastoma; Medicinal plant; neuroblastoma cells; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Attention disorder with hyperactivity; Enzogenol; Human; Pycnogenol; Nervous system diseases; cell survival; Weed; Pharmacognosy; Malignant tumor; In vitro; Survival; Treatment; Plant origin; Spermatophyta; Autonomic neuropathy; Cancer; Life Sciences
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3198

Plant extracts such as Hypericum perforatum and Pycnogenol® have been tested as alternatives to the classical ADHD drugs. It has been possible to describe neuroprotective effects of such plant extracts. A reduction of ADHD symptoms could be shown in clinical studies after the application of Pycnogenol®, which is a pine bark extract. The impacts of the standardized herbal extracts Hypericum perforatum, Pycnogenol® and Enzogenol® up to a concentration of 5000 ng/mL on cell survival and energy metabolism in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells has been investigated in the present examination. Hypericum perforatum significantly decreased the survival of cells after treatment with a concentration of 5000 ng/mL, whereas lower concentrations exerted no significant effects. Pycnogenol® induced a significant increase of cell survival after incubation with a concentration of 32.25 ng/mL and a concentration of 250 ng/mL. Other applied concentrations of Pycnogenol® failed to exert significant effects. Treatment with Enzogenol® did not lead to significant changes in cell survival.Concerning energy metabolism, the treatment of cells with a concentration of 5000 ng/mL Hypericum perforatum led to a significant increase of ATP levels, whereas treatment with a concentration of 500 ng/mL had no significant effect. Incubation of cells with Pycnogenol® and Enzogenol® exerted no significant effects.None of the tested substances caused any cytotoxic effect when used in therapeutically relevant concentrations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.