title: Ginsenoside Rg1 exerts a protective effect against Aβ₂₅₋₃₅-induced toxicity in primary cultured rat cortical neurons through the NF-κB/NO pathway.
abstract: Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) is a multipotent triterpene saponin extracted from ginseng, and has been proven to act as a nootropic agent against various types of neurological damage. The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanisms of Rg1 on apoptosis induced by β-amyloid peptide 25-35 (Aβ25-35) in primary cultured cortical neurons. The primary neurons were preincubated with 20 µM Rg1 for 24 h and exposed to 10 µM Aβ25-35 for 72 h. In the present study, we found that Rg1 prevented nuclear factor κ-light-chain‑enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) nuclear translocation and IκB-α phosphorylation in primary cultured cortical neurons after Aβ25-35 exposure by scavenging excess reactive oxygen species (ROS); ROS was measured using DCFDA and examined using a fluorescence microscope. In addition, Rg1 successfully suppressed Aβ25‑35-inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) production in a NF-κB-dependent manner; the suppression of NO was clearly illustrated by the NO production assay. Pretreatment of the cells with Rg1 elevated the proportion of Bcl-2/Bax, lessened the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into cytoplasm and then blocked mitochondrial apoptotic cascades after Aβ25-35 insult by lowering NO generation. Taken together, our data demonstrate that Rg1 rescues primary cultured cortical neurons from Aβ25-35-induced cell apoptosis through the downregulation of the NF-κB/NO signaling pathway.
authors: Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China.
authors: Jiaying
authors: J
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China.
authors: Hongyu
authors: H
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China.
authors: Qingwei
authors: Q
authors: Zhao
authors: Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, P.R. China.
authors: Xingguo
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Division of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular and Hepatic Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, P.R. China.
authors: Yijia
authors: Y
authors: Lou
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D036145:Ginsenosides; D016328:NF-kappa B; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C074636:amyloid beta-protein (25-35); D009569:Nitric Oxide; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1