title: Epimedium Polysaccharide Alleviates Polyglutamine-Induced Neurotoxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans by Reducing Oxidative Stress.
abstract: Epimedium has been traditionally used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including neurological disorders. In this study, an acidic polysaccharide EbPS-A1 is isolated from Epimedium brevicornum and found to contain mainly galacturonic acid, galactose, and rhamnose but also arabinose and glucuronic acid. Using Caenorhabditis elegans models, we show that EbPS-A1 is capable of inhibiting behavioral dysfunction mediated by polyglutamine (polyQ), which is implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease. Interestingly, EbPS-A1 does not inhibit polyQ aggregation or extend lifespan in the nematodes; it does, however, improve the survival under increased oxidative stress of both polyQ and wild-type nematodes intoxicated by paraquat. Further studies reveal that EbPS-A1 is capable of not only scavenging free radicals in vitro but also reducing reactive oxygen species levels, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities, and decreasing lipid peroxidation product in C. elegans models. Together, these results suggest that the protective effect of Epimedium polysaccharide against polyQ-mediated neurotoxicity is likely due to its antioxidant function.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Yanxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Ju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|3 Research & Development Center , Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Qiangqiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|3 Research & Development Center , Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Lingyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: 2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .|4 Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Huandi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: 2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .|4 Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: 3 Research & Development Center , Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Chung Wah
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: 3 Research & Development Center , Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Fangli
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: 3 Research & Development Center , Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University , Wuhan, China .|2 Center for Bioresources & Drug Discovery and School of Biosciences & Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .|4 Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drug Candidates, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Zebo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects*; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D034181:Epimedium / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010455:Peptides / Q000633:toxicity*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066329:Protein Aggregates / Q000187:drug effects; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D009498:Neurotoxins; D010455:Peptides; D011134:Polysaccharides; D066329:Protein Aggregates; C097188:polyglutamine; D008315:Malondialdehyde
keywords: epimedium; neurodegeneration; neurotoxicity; oxidative stress; polyglutamine; polysaccharide