The effect of Bacopa monnieri on gene expression levels in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells

Abstract

Bacopa monnieri is a plant used as a nootropic in Ayurveda, a 5000-year-old system of traditional Indian medicine. Although both animal and clinical studies supported its role as a memory enhancer, the molecular and cellular mechanism underlying Bacopa’s nootropic action are not understood. In this study, we used deep sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify the transcriptome changes upon Bacopa treatment on SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. We identified several genes whose expression levels were regulated by Bacopa. Biostatistical analysis of the RNA-Seq data identified biological pathways and molecular functions that were regulated by Bacopa, including regulation of mRNA translation and transmembrane transport, responses to oxidative stress and protein misfolding. Pathway analysis using the Ingenuity platform suggested that Bacopa may protect against brain damage and improve brain development. These newly identified molecular and cellular determinants may contribute to the nootropic action of Bacopa and open up a new direction of investigation into its mechanism of action.

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“…The anti-cancer activity of the ethanolic extract of Bacopa monnieri against human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-468) is may be due to the synergistic effect of the secondary metabolites present in the extract 44 . Study on the effect of Bacopa monnieri extract on gene expression in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells have revealed that several genes are regulated by Bacopa monnieri including genes for regulation of mRNA translation, and transmembrane transport, responses to oxidative stress and protein misfolding thus suggesting that Bacopa monnieri may protect against brain damage and improve brain development 45 . Increased permeability by overexpression of AQP 1, a transmembrane protein responsible for water transport is a distinct feature of many human cancer cells including those of breast, colon, and prostate.…”