Rhinacanthus nasutus Extracts Prevent Glutamate and Amyloid-β Neurotoxicity in HT-22 Mouse Hippocampal Cells: Possible Active Compounds Include Lupeol, Stigmasterol and β-Sitosterol

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

James M. Brimson²  Sirikalaya J. Brimson¹  Christopher A. Brimson³  Varaporn Rakkhitawatthana² 

[1] Department of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, 154 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; E-Mail:;Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, 154 Rama I Rd, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; E-Mails:;Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; E-Mail:

关键词: Alzheimer’s disease;    glutamate;    amyloid-β;    neuron degeneration;    oxidative stress;    herbal medicine;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13045074

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The Herb Rhinacanthus nasutus (L.) Kurz, which is native to Thailand and Southeast Asia, has become known for its antioxidant properties. Neuronal loss in a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s disease is thought to result, in part, from oxidative stress. Glutamate causes cell death in the mouse hippocampal cell line, HT-22, by unbalancing redox homeostasis, brought about by a reduction in glutathione levels, and amyloid-β has been shown to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Here in, we show that ethanol extracts of R. nasutus leaf and root are capable of dose dependently attenuating the neuron cell death caused by both glutamate and amyloid-β treatment. We used free radical scavenging assays to measure the extracts antioxidant activities and as well as quantifying phenolic, flavonoid and sterol content. Molecules found in R. nasutus, lupeol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol are protective against glutamate toxicity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.