title: Neuroprotective and neuroproliferative activities of NeuroAid (MLC601, MLC901), a Chinese medicine, in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: Although stroke remains a leading cause of death and adult disability, numerous recent failures in clinical stroke trials have led to some pessimism in the field. Interestingly, NeuroAid (MLC601), a traditional medicine, particularly used in China, South East Asia and Middle East has been reported to have beneficial effects in patients, particularly in post-stroke complications. Here, we demonstrate in a rodent model of focal ischemia that NeuroAid II (MLC901) pre- and post-treatments up to 3 h after stroke improve survival, protect the brain from the ischemic injury and drastically decrease functional deficits. MLC601 and MLC901 also prevent neuronal death in an in vitro model of excitotoxicity using primary cultures of cortical neurons exposed to glutamate. In addition, MLC601/MLC901 treatments were shown to induce neurogenesis in rodent and human cells, promote cell proliferation as well as neurite outgrowth and stimulate the development of a dense axonal and dendritic network. MLC601 and MLC901 clearly represent a very interesting strategy for stroke treatment at different stages of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, 660 Route des Lucioles, 06560 Valbonne, France. heurteau@ipmc.cnrs.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heurteaux
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gandin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borsotto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Widmann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lhuillier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Onteniente
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lazdunski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C546417:Neuroaid; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018698:Glutamic Acid