title: Phenylethanoid glycosides of Pedicularis muscicola Maxim ameliorate high altitude-induced memory impairment.
abstract: Exposure to hypobaric hypoxia causes oxidative stress, neuronal degeneration and apoptosis that leads to memory impairment. Though oxidative stress contributes to neuronal degeneration and apoptosis in hypobaric hypoxia, the ability for phenylethanoid glycosides of Pedicularis muscicola Maxim (PhGs) to reverse high altitude memory impairment has not been studied. Rats were supplemented with PhGs orally for a week. After the fourth day of drug administration, rats were exposed to a 7500 m altitude simulation in a specially designed animal decompression chamber for 3 days. Spatial memory was assessed by the 8-arm radial maze test before and after exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Histological assessment of neuronal degeneration was performed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Changes in oxidative stress markers and changes in the expression of the apoptotic marker, caspase-3, were assessed in the hippocampus. Our results demonstrated that after exposure to hypobaric hypoxia, PhGs ameliorated high altitude memory impairment, as shown by the decreased values obtained for reference memory error (RME), working memory error (WME), and total error (TE). Meanwhile, administration of PhGs decreased hippocampal reactive oxygen species levels and consequent lipid peroxidation by elevating reduced glutathione levels and enhancing the free radical scavenging enzyme system. There was also a decrease in the number of pyknotic neurons and a reduction in caspase-3 expression in the hippocampus. These findings suggest that PhGs may be used therapeutically to ameliorate high altitude memory impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Baozhu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Department of Pharmacy, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China. Electronic address: limaox2005@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Maoxing
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Xinyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China.
authors.forename: Quanlong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China.
authors.forename: Yantong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, 454th Hospital of PLA, Nanjing 210002, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Department of Pharmacy, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Lanzhou General Hospital of PLA, Key Laboratory of the Prevention and Treatment for Injury in Plateau of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China.
authors.forename: Xianmin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000378:metabolism; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006027:Glycosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D032262:Pedicularis / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D000975:Antioxidants; D006027:Glycosides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C015977:malealdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione
keywords: Apoptosis; Degeneration; Hippocampus; Memory impairment; Oxidative stress; Pedicularis muscicola Maxim; Phenylethanoid glycosides