Anti-aging effect of astragalosides and its mechanism of action.
OBJECTIVE
To study the anti-aging effect of astragalosides (AST) and its mechanism of action.


METHODS
Rotating rod test and step-down type passive avoidance test were performed to determine the effects of AST on motor and memory of D-galactose (D-gal)-induced senescent mice and the middle-aged mice. The proliferative response of splenocytes induced by Con A or LPS, IL-2 production of splenocytes induced by ConA of D-gal-treated mice and the middle-aged mice were also measured.


RESULTS
AST (40 mg.kg(-1).d(-1), ig, for 10 weeks) was found to ameliorate age-related alternations in both motor response and memory, enhance the deteriorated cellular immunity in D-gal-treated mice and the pre-aged (17-month-old) mice.


CONCLUSIONS
AST has an anti-aging effect on D-gal-induced senescent mice and has the effect of delaying senility of the middle-aged mice, which was related to its improvement of brain function and immunomodulatory effects.
Lei
Hong
H
Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China. keerfood@mail.hf.ah.cn
Wang
Bin
B
Li
Wei-Ping
WP
Yang
Yan
Y
Zhou
Ai-Wu
AW
Chen
Min-Zhu
MZ
D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D027885:Astragalus propinquus / Q000737:chemistry; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005690:Galactose; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012503:Saponins; D005690:Galactose