title: Selegiline potentiates the effects of EGb 761 in response to ischemic brain injury.
abstract: We evaluated whether combined treatment with selegiline, a selective MAO-B inhibitor, and EGb 761, a standard extract of Ginkgo biloba, has synergistic effects against ischemic reperfusion injury (IRI) in gerbils. Interestingly, we observed that pretreatment with EGb 761 significantly attenuated selegiline-induced hyperactivity. This finding paralleled striatal fos-related antigen immunoreactivity (FRA-IR) in mice. Four minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion caused substantial cell loss in the CA1 of the hippocampus 5 days post-ischemic insult. Pretreatment with EGb 761, with or without selegiline, significantly attenuated this neuronal loss. Combined treatment with EGb 761 plus selegiline was more efficacious in preventing this loss. Synaptosomal formations of protein carbonyl, lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde (MDA) + 4-hydroxyalkenal (4-HDA)), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the hippocampus remained elevated 5 days post-ischemic insult. The antioxidant effects appeared to be most significant in the group treated with EGb 761 plus selegiline. This combined treatment produced more significant attenuation of IRI-induced alterations in intramitochondrial calcium accumulation, the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase-like immunoreactivity (Mn-SOD-IR) than either treatment alone. Our results suggest that co-administration of EGb 761 and selegiline produces significant neuroprotective effects via suppression of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction without affecting neurological function.
authors.affiliation: Neurotoxicology Program, College of Pharmacy, Korea Institute of Drug Abuse, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nabeshima
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jhoo
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Jhoo
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wie
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005849:Gerbillinae; D020441:Ginkgo biloba; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012642:Selegiline / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012642:Selegiline; C063170:Ginkgo biloba extract; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract