title: PMC-12, a Prescription of Traditional Korean Medicine, Improves Amyloid β-Induced Cognitive Deficits through Modulation of Neuroinflammation.
abstract: PMC-12 is a prescription used in traditional Korean medicine that consists of a mixture of four herbal medicines, Polygonum multiflorum, Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygala tenuifolia, and Acorus gramineus, which have been reported to have various pharmacological effects on age-related neurological diseases. In the present study, we investigated whether PMC-12 improves cognitive deficits associated with decreased neuroinflammation in an amyloid-β-(Aβ-) induced mouse model and exerts the antineuroinflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) stimulated murine BV2 microglia. Intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ 25-35 in mice resulted in impairment in learning and spatial memory, whereas this was reversed by oral administration of PMC-12 (100 and 500 mg/kg/day) in dose-dependent manners. Moreover, PMC-12 reduced the increase of Aβ expression and activation of microglia and astrocytes in the Aβ 25-35-injected brain. Furthermore, quantitative PCR data showed that inflammatory mediators were significantly decreased by administration of PMC-12 in Aβ-injected brains. Consistent with the in vivo data, PMC-12 significantly reduced the inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells without cell toxicity. Moreover, PMC-12 exhibited anti-inflammatory properties via downregulation of ERK, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways. These findings suggest that the protective effects of PMC-12 may be mediated by its antineuroinflammatory activities, resulting in the attenuation of memory impairment; accordingly, PMC-12 may be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hwa
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticultural Bioscience, College of Natural Resource and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang, Gyeongnam 626-706, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Whan
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1628-3036
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jaewon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Anti-Aging Technology Development, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Cheol Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Humanities and Social Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Ung
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Research Center for Anti-Aging Technology Development, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Tae
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5965-4346
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Meridian and Structural Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Research Center for Anti-Aging Technology Development, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hwa Kyoung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Shin