title: Identification of Centella asiatica's Effective Ingredients for Inducing the Neuronal Differentiation.
abstract: Centella asiatica, commonly known as Gotu kola, has been widely used as a traditional herb for decades. Yet, the study on which compounds or compound combinations actually lead to its brain benefits remains scarce. To study the neuroprotection effects of Centella asiatica, neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells was applied. In our pilot study, we isolated 45 Centella asiatica fractions and tested their abilities for inducing neuronal differentiation on PC12 cells. The most effective fraction showed robust induction in neurite outgrowth and neurofilament expression. LC-MS fingerprint analysis of this fraction revealed asiatic acid and madecassic acid as the dominant components. A further investigation on the pure combination of these two compounds indicated that the combination of these two compounds extensively promoted nerve differentiation in vitro. Application of PD98059, a protein MEK inhibitor, attenuated combination-induced neurofilament expression, indicating the combination-induced nerve differentiation through activation of MEK signaling pathway. Our results support the use of combination of asiatic acid and madecassic acid as an effective mean to intervene neurodegenerative diseases in which neurotrophin deficiency is involved.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Guoshuai
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Junwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Heyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Jinjin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Yiyang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Guorong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
authors.forename: Xianting
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3674-7002
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding