Pharmacological Properties of CDBT in Hypoxia-induced Neuronal Cell Injury and Their Underlying Mechanisms

Objectives: This study aimed to reveal the pharmacological properties of the newly prescribed herbal mixture, Chenmadansamgamibokhap-tang(CDBT), against hypoxia-induced neuronal cell injury (especially mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line, HT-22 cells) and their corresponding mechanisms. Methods: A cell-based in vitro experiment, in which a hypoxia condition induced neuronal cell death, was performed. Various concentrations of the CDBT were pre-treated to the HT-22 cells for 4 h before 18 h in the hypoxia chamber. The glial cell BV-2 cells were stimulated with $IFN{\gamma}$ and LSP to produce inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. When the neuronal HT-22 cells were treated with this culture solution, the drug efficacy against neuronal cell death was examined. Results: CDBT showed cytotoxicity in the normal condition of HT-22 cells at a dose of $125{\mu}g/mL$ and showed a protective effect against hypoxia-induced neuronal cell death at a dose of $31.3{\mu}g/mL$. CDBT prevented hypoxia-induced neuronal cell death in a dose-dependent manner in the HT-22 cells by regulating $HIF1{\alpha}$ and cell death signaling. CDBT prevented neuronal cell death signals and DNA fragmentation due to the hypoxia condition. CDBT significantly reduced cellular oxidation, cell death signals, and caspase-3 activities due to microglial cell activations. Moreover, CDBT significantly ameliorated LPS-induced BV-2 cell activation and evoked cellular oxidation through the recovery of redox homeostasis. Conclusions: CDBT cam be considered as a vital therapeutic agent against neuronal cell deaths. Further studies are required to reveal the other functions of CDBT in vivo or in the clinical field.