Oriental medicine Jangwonhwan reduces Abeta(1-42) level and beta-amyloid deposition in the brain of Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer disease.
BACKGROUND
Jangwonhwan, a boiled extract of 12 medicinal plants/mushroom including Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), has been prescribed for patients with cognitive dysfunction and are believed to induce brain activity enhancement, provide light sedation, and facilitate sound sleep.


OBJECTIVE
The present study was carried out to investigate whether Jangwonhwan has a beneficial effect on the brain of Alzheimer disease.


METHODS
The transgenic mice of Alzheimer disease, Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9, were fed a modified recipe of Jangwonhwan consisting of a boiled extract of 7 herbs/mushroom (called LMK02-Jangwonhwan) at 400mg/kg/day of dose for 3 months from 4.5 months of age. Immunohistological and ELISA analyses were used to assess the Abeta accumulation and plaque deposition in the brain. Other in vitro and in vivo works were performed to understand the underlying mechanism.


RESULTS
LMK02-Jangwonhwan notably reduced Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(1-40) levels, concomitantly with a reduction of plaque deposition, in the brain of Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9 mice. LMK02-Jangwonhwan partially suppressed oxidative stress accumulation, and prevented the down-regulation of phospho-CREB and calbindin typically seen in the hippocampus of AD-like brains. In vitro study with SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells showed that LMK02-Jangwonhwan inhibited oxidative stress and Abeta-induced neurotoxicity.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests that LMK02-Jangwonhwan confers a therapeutic potential to ameliorate AD-like pathology in the brain of Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9 mice.
Seo
Ji-Seon
JS
Department of Chemistry & Nano Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Yun
Jong-Hyun
JH
Baek
In-Sun
IS
Leem
Yeo-Hyun
YH
Kang
Hyung-Won
HW
Cho
Hyoung Kwon
HK
Lyu
Yeoung-Su
YS
Son
Hyung-Jin
HJ
Han
Pyung-Lim
PL
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D000682:Amyloid / Q000378:metabolism*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism*
D000682:Amyloid; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42)