Gingko biloba Extract (EGb 761) prevents ischemic brain injury by activation of the Akt signaling pathway.
EGb 761 is a standardized extract of Gingko biloba that exerts protective effects against ischemic brain injury. This study investigated whether EGb 761 modulates the neuroprotective effects through Akt and its downstream targets, Bad and FKHR. Adult male rats were treated with EGb 761 (100 mg/kg) or vehicle prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Brains were collected 24 hours after MCAO and infarct volumes were analyzed. EGb 761 significantly reduced infarct volume. Potential activation was mearsured by phosphorylation of Akt at Ser(473), Bad at Ser(136), and FKHR at Ser(256) using Western blot analysis. EGb 761 prevented the injury-induced decrease of pAkt and its down stream targets, pBad and pFKHR. Furthermore, EGb 761 prevented the injury-induced increase of cleaved caspase-3 levels. In conclusion, this study suggests that EGb 761 prevents cell death due to brain injury and that EGb 761 protection is affected by preventing the injury-induce decrease of Akt phosphorylation.
Cho
Jae-Hyeon
JH
Department of Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Research Institute of Life Science, (Brain Korea 21), Gyeongsang National University, 900 Gajwa-dong, Jinju 660-701, South Korea.
Sung
Jin-Hee
JH
Cho
Eun-Hae
EH
Won
Chung-Kil
CK
Lee
Hyo-Jong
HJ
Kim
Myeong-Ok
MO
Koh
Phil-Ok
PO
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D020441:Ginkgo biloba; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract
D053148:Caspase 3; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; C494821:Bad protein, rat; C063170:Ginkgo biloba extract; D000096983:Ginkgo Extract; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat