title: Protection of NMDA-induced neuronal cell damage by methanol extract of zizyphi spinosi semen in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells.
abstract: Zizypus is one of the herbs widely used in Korea and China due to the CNS calming effect. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the methanol extract of Zizyphi Spinosi Semen (ZSS), the seeds of Zizyphus jujuba Mill var. spinosa, on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat cerebellar granule neuron. ZSS, over a concentration range of 0.05-5 microg/ml, inhibited NMDA (1 mM)-induced neuronal cell death, which was measured by a trypan blue exclusion test and a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. ZSS (0.5 microg/ml) inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by NMDA (1mM), which was measured by HPLC. Pretreatment of ZSS (0.5 microg/ml) inhibited NMDA (1mM)-induced elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fura 2-AM, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that ZSS prevents NMDA-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyun Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Bum
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Ju Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ban
authors.forename: Yeon Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Seong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000432:Methanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012639:Seeds; D031957:Ziziphus
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D000432:Methanol