Most of the known pharmacological effects of
Panax ginseng on the central nervous system are due to its major components – ginsenosides. Although the antioxidant ability of ginseng root has already ...been established, this activity has never been evaluated for isolated ginsenosides on astrocytes. The activity of protopanaxadiols Rb
1, Rb
2, Rc and Rd, and protopanaxatriols Re and Rg
1 was evaluated in vitro on astrocytes primary culture by means of an oxidative stress model with H
2O
2. The viability of astrocytes was determined by the MTT reduction assay and by the LDH release into the incubation medium. The effects on the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidases (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) and on the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation were also investigated. Exposure of astrocytes to H
2O
2 decreased cell viability as well as the antioxidant enzymes activity and increased ROS formation. Oxidative stress produced significant cell death that was reduced by previous treatment with the tested ginsenosides. Ginsenosides Rb
1, Rb
2, Re and Rg
1 were effective in reducing astrocytic death, while Rb
1, Rb
2, Rd, Re and Rg
1 decreased ROS formation, ginsenoside Re being the most active. Ginsenosides from
P. ginseng induce neuroprotection mainly through activation of antioxidant enzymes.
We investigated the effect of
Spirulina platensis protean extract and the biliprotein phycocyanin isolated from this microalga, on the activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR, ...lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity and glutathione levels after the iron induced oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Iron is one of the most important agents that produce oxidative stress and decline of neuronal functions.
S. platensis protean extract and phycocyanin exert the antioxidant activity by protecting the activity of the cellular antioxidant enzymes total GPx, GPx-Se and GR and by increasing reduced glutathione in cells against oxidative stress induced by iron. These results suggested that
S. platensis protean extract is a powerful antioxidant through a mechanism related to antioxidant activity, capable of interfering with radical-mediated cell death.
S. platensis may be useful in diseases known to be aggravated by reactive oxygen species and in the development of novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders as long as iron has been implicated in the neuropathology of several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson diseases.
Teucrium buxifolium Spanish endemic, have traditionally been used for the treatment of rheumatic and other inflammatory affections. In this work, phytochemical screening was carried out to ascertain ...the qualitative composition of this species and we have studied the anti-inflammatory and antiulcer activity of
Teucrium buxifolium. This species has exhibited potent anti-inflammatory properties against experimentally-induced arthritis and carrageenin paw edema. Additionally,
Teucrium buxifolium species have displayed significant antiulcer and cytoprotective activity.
Andalusol ent-13(16),14-labdadiene-6 alpha,8 alpha,18-triol, a labdane diterpene isolated from an anti-inflammatory extract of the medicinal plant Sideritis foetens Clem. was evaluated for ...immunomodulating properties. It exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the hemolytic activity of the classical complement pathway and also inhibited lymphocyte proliferation induced by concanavalin A at non-cytotoxic concentrations (1-100 microM). No effect on the alternative pathway was observed. These results indicate that andalusol has immunosuppressive effects in vitro in addition to its anti-inflammatory activity.
