title: Danggui-Shaoyao-San ameliorates cognition deficits and attenuates oxidative stress-related neuronal apoptosis in d-galactose-induced senescent mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS), a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula consisting of six herbal medicines, has been used to treat gynecological disorders and neural dysfunctions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of DSS on cognitive ability and oxidative stress-related neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus of aging mice induced by d-galactose (d-gal) to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ethanol extract of DSS (DE) were orally administered to d-gal-induced senescent mice for six weeks. The cognitive ability was determined by the methods of step-down type passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and levels of carbonyl protein (CP), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) were also examined. Furthermore, the expression of apoptotic related proteins in hippocampus of d-gal-treated mice, such as Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 proteins, were determined by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DE at the doses of 1.8, 3.6 and 7.2g/kg significantly enhanced the cognitive performances and restored the abnormal activities of SOD and NOS and levels of CP, MDA, GSH and NO induced by d-gal. Moreover, the neural apoptosis in the hippocampus of d-gal-treated mice was improved by DE through regulating the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that DE has neuroprotective effects in d-gal-induced senescent mice by ameliorating oxidative stress induced neuronal apoptosis in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lvyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Jianguang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Lingyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Shiping
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005690:Galactose; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D050050:Protein Carbonylation / Q000187:drug effects; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C531150:danggui-shaoyao-san; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione; D005690:Galactose