BackgroundGlutamate (an endogenous excitatory neurotransmitter) at high concentrations contributes to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Aronia melanocarpa (A. melanocarpa) berries contain anthocyanins and have high antioxidant activities. In this study, we evaluated whether A. melanocarpa berries could protect neuronal cells against glutamate-induced oxidative stress.Method A. melanocarpa berries exerted a protective effect against cytotoxicity in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells by MTT assay. We evaluated oxidative stress parameters including ROS level, intracellular Ca2+ level, glutathione level and antioxidant enzyme activity in HT22 cells to elucidate the mechanism of its neuroprotective effect.Results A. melanocarpa berries decreased glutamate-induced death of HT22 cells. In addition, A. melanocarpa berries reduced ROS and intracellular Ca2+ levels. Glutathione level, antioxidant enzymes, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxide activities and mitochondrial membrane potential were also increased in HT22 cells.ConclusionThese results suggested that A. melanocarpa berries protected HT22 cells by exerting an antioxidant effect.

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Magnoliae Flos (MF) is a traditional medicinal herb used for managing rhinitis, sinusitis and headache. The purpose of the present study was to determine the neuroprotective effect of MF against glutamate-induced oxidative stress and to assess the underlying mechanism. Glutamate is a major endogenous excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and contributes to the development of neurodegenerative diseases by excessive activation. MF extract was subjected to a neuroprotective effect assay in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells. The mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of MF extract was evaluated by assaying reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, intracellular Ca2+ levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, glutathione level and antioxidant enzyme activity in HT22 cells. MF extract significantly decreased glutamate-induced death of HT22 cells (80.83 ± 7.34% relative neuroprotection). MF extract reduced the intracellular ROS and Ca2+ levels and increased the glutathione level and glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxide activities. Moreover, MF extract attenuated the mitochondrial membrane potential in HT22 cells. These results suggested that MF extract exerts a neuroprotective effect against oxidative stress HT22 cells, which was mediated by its antioxidant activity.

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Nelumbo nucifera has a variety of biological activities. So it was importantly used as various herbal medicines since traditional times. A simple, fast, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed in this study for efficient quality control of N. nucifera. Four different compounds, including neferine, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-[(4-hydroxyphenyl) methyl]-2-methyl-7-isoquinolinol, 1-hydroxy-2-methylpropene, and 3-(prop-1-enyl)benzene-1,2,4,5-tetrol, were simultaneously determined. The four compounds were isolated through a Dionex C18 column by gradient elution with 0.1% TFA-water and methanol. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and the wavelength was detected at 205, 254, 280, and 330 nm. The chromatograms were acquired at 205 nm. The four compounds showed good linear relationships (r2>0.96) over five different concentrations, and an average recovery of the method ranged from 96.27% to 108.78%. Through the analysis validation test and application of the method, the optimized conditions verified that it is efficient to isolate the compounds of N. nucifera seed embryos.

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Purpose. Excessive glutamate amount can give oxidative stress to neuronal cells, and the accumulation of cell death can trigger the neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we discovered the neuroprotective effect of Lysimachia christinae Hance in the mouse hippocampal HT22 cell line. Method. Overnight incubated HT22 cells were pretreated with L. christinae extract dose dependently (1, 10, and 100 μg/ml). Followed by then, glutamate was treated. These treated cells were incubated several times again, and cell viability, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and glutathione-related enzyme amount were measured. Results. As a result, L. christinae increases the cell viability by inhibiting the ROS and Ca2+ formation, recovering the level of MMP and enhancing the activity of glutathione production compared with only vehicle-treated groups. Conclusion. These draw that L. christinae may remarkably decelerate the neurodegeneration by minimizing neuronal cell damage via oxidative stress.

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