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Beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ), a major protein component of senile plaques, has been considered as a critical cause in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Modulation of the Aβ-induced neurotoxicity has emerged as a possible therapeutic approach to ameliorate the onset and progression of AD. The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of isorhynchophylline, an oxindole alkaloid isolated from a Chinese herb Uncaria rhynchophylla, on Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. The results showed that pretreatment with isorhynchophylline significantly elevated cell viability, decreased the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, increased the level of glutathione, and stabilized mitochondrial membrane potential in Aβ(25-35)-treated PC12 cells. In addition, isorhynchophylline significantly suppressed the formation of DNA fragmentation and the activity of caspase-3 and moderated the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. These results indicate that isorhynchophylline exerts a neuroprotective effect against Aβ(25-35)-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, at least in part, via inhibiting oxidative stress and suppressing the mitochondrial pathway of cellular apoptosis.

Abstract. pogostemonis herba has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of inflammationrelated disorders. patchouli alcohol (pa) isolated from pogostemonis herba is a tricyclic sesquiterpene that is known to exert a variety of pharmacological activities. the present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of pa on lipopolysaccharide (lpS)-stimulated raW264.7 cells. pre-treatment with pa at concentrations of 10, 20 or 40 µm dose-dependently decreased the production of tumor necrosis factor (tnF)-α, interleukin (il)-1β, il-6, nitric oxide (nO) and prostaglandin E 2 in lpS-stimulated raW264.7 cells. in addition, pa treatment also reversed the increased mrna expression of tnF-α, il-1β, il-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (inOS) and cyclooxygenase (cOx)-2 caused by lpS in raW264.7 cells. these results indicate that pa is an important anti-inflammatory constituent of Pogostemonis Herba and that its anti-inflammatory effect may be mediated, at least in part, by down-regulation of the mrna expression of a panel of inflammatory mediators, such as TNF-α, il-1β, il-6, inOS and cOx-2.

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