title: Bak Foong protects dopaminergic neurons against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity by its anti-apoptotic activity.
abstract: Bak Foong pill (BFP) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine used for treatment of various gynaecological disorders. In addition, it exerts beneficial effects on other functional systems including the central nervous system. In the present study, we have investigated the possible neuroprotective action of BFP upon the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system by examining its effect on the expression patterns of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT) in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahyrdropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. MPTP significantly decreased TH and DAT mRNA levels in the striatum and midbrain of both female and male C57BL/6 mice. However, with BFP pre-treatment mice showed a reduced neurotoxicity, with TH and DAT mRNA levels either not affected by MPTP or affected to a lesser extent in the midbrain and striatum when compared to vehicle treated animals. Possible anti-apoptotic activity of BFP was further studied in a dopamine-secreting neuroendocrine cell line, PC12. In this assay, MPTP elevated the expression of a pro-apoptotic gene, Bax, while this expression was reduced by BFP pre-treatment. Flow cytometry results also revealed that the effect of MPTP-induced apoptosis in PC12 cell lines was significantly reduced by BFP. The present results suggest that BFP is able to protect dopaminergic neurons from neurotoxin-induced neuronal injury with anti-apoptotic activity being one of the possible mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Epithelial Cell Biology Research Centre, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun Xia
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lai Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: Dewi Kenneth
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Rowlands
authors.forename: Lok Sze
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Yu Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Gou
authors.forename: Yiu Wa
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hsiao Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012737:Sex Factors; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C508116:Bak Foong Pills; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine