title: Prenatal exposure of rats to Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) increases neuronal survival/growth and alters gene expression in the developing fetal hippocampus.
abstract: Hippocampal neuron survival/growth and gene expression have been examined after prenatal (in utero) exposure of rats to EGb 761, a leaf extract of Ginkgo biloba. Oral administration of EGb 761 (100 or 300 mg/kg/day) to pregnant dams for 5 days increased the number of hippocampal neurons (maintained in culture) of their fetuses, indicating a neurotrophic effect of the extract. Using large-scale oligonucleotide microarrays containing over 8000 combined rat genes and expressed sequence tag clusters, it was shown that treatment of pregnant dams with EGb 761 (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg/day for 5 days) altered the expression of 187 genes in the hippocampi of male fetuses and 160 genes in those of female fetuses. Using gene-cluster analysis, these genes were grouped into 18 distinct clusters for males and 17 distinct clusters for females. Among these clusters, 35 genes shared a common expression pattern in male and female hippocampal development. Of these genes, the changes observed in insulin growth factor II, insulin growth factor binding protein 2, testosterone repressed prostate message-2, glutathione-dependent dehydroascorbate reductase, lipoprotein lipase, guanylate cyclase and DNA binding protein Brn-2 were confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. These findings, which have provided the first genetic profile of the effects of EGb 761 on the developing rat hippocampus, increase our understanding of the molecular and genetic programs that are activated by the extract. These effects of EGb 761 may underlie its neuroprotective properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Division of Hormone Research, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Wenping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trovero
authors.forename: Jocelyne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cordier
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Katy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Drieu
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D051152:Clusterin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D020441:Ginkgo biloba; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005810:Multigene Family; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract
chemical_list: D051152:Clusterin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II; D008071:Lipoprotein Lipase; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C063170:Ginkgo biloba extract; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract; C020666:glutathione dehydrogenase (ascorbate)