• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.125-129
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• 2009

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and Parkinson's disease, are caused by neuronal cell death. Apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, excitotoxicity or ischemia are discussed to play a role of neuronal cell death. In order to find the candidate of neuroprotective agent, neuroprotective activity of some medicinal plants was investigated with in vitro assay system using glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cortical cells. The aqueous methanolic extracts of twenty-seven medicinal plants were evaluated the protective effects against glutamate-injured excitotoxicity in rat cortical cells at the concentration of 50 $\mu$g/ml and 100 $\mu$g/ml, respectively. Among them, extracts of Lonicera japonica, Taraxacum platycarpum, Polygonum aviculare, Gardenia jasminoides, Forsythia viridissima, Lygodium japonicum, Panax notoginseng, Akebia quinata, Anemarrhena asphodeloides and Phellodendron amurense showed significantly neuroprotective activities against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary rat cortical cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.444-449
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• 1995

Primary cultures of rat cortical and chicken embryonic brain cells were employed to establish a reliable screening method for natural products blocldng or enhancing glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Exposure of primary cultured rat cortical cells or chicken embryonic brain cells to high dose of glutamate resulted in the fragmentation of neutites and consequent neuronal death. The level of cytoplasmic lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), indicator for cell survival in cultures, was significantly reduced at exposure to glutamate. For the practical application of the methods, series of concentrations of plants extracts and positive control were applied prior to the glutamate insult on primary cultures of rat cortical and chicken embryonic, brain cells. Relative LDH level in cells was measured for the estimation of the effect of the test materials on the glutamatergic neurons. The validity of the present screening method for natural products acting on glutamatergic neurons was examined with dextromethorphan, a known glutamatergic antagonist. The treatment of 100 $\mu{M}$ dextromethorphan prevented the reduction of LDH in rat cortical and chicken embryonic brain cells caused by glutamate insult keeping 60% and 90% of LDH level in normal control, respectively. Above results indicate that primary cultures of rat cortical and chicken embryonic brain cells could be proper systems for the screening of potential natural agents acting on glutamatergic, neurons. Between the two types of cultures, primary culture of chicken embryonic brain cells seemed to be a better system for the primary screening, since it is technically easier and economical compared to that of rat cortical cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.238-248
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• 2012

Purpose: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is an important cause of neonatal mortality, as this brain injury disrupts normal mitochondrial respiratory activity. Carnitine plays an essential role in mitochondrial fatty acid transport and modulates excess acyl coenzyme A levels. In this study, we investigated whether treatment of primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with L-carnitine was able to prevent neurotoxicity resulting from oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Methods: Cortical neurons were prepared from Sprague-Dawley rat embryos. L-Carnitine was applied to cultures just prior to OGD and subsequent reoxygenation. The numbers of cells that stained with acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI) were counted, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the terminal uridine deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay were performed to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine (1 ${\mu}M$, 10 ${\mu}M$, and 100 ${\mu}M$) on OGD-induced neurotoxicity. Results: Treatment of primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with L-carnitine significantly reduced cell necrosis and prevented apoptosis after OGD. L-Carnitine application significantly reduced the number of cells that died, as assessed by the PI/AO ratio, and also reduced ROS release in the OGD groups treated with 10 ${\mu}M$ and 100 ${\mu}M$ of L-carnitine compared with the untreated OGD group (P<0.05). The application of L-carnitine at 100 ${\mu}M$ significantly decreased cytotoxicity, LDH release, and inhibited apoptosis compared to the untreated OGD group (P<0.05). Conclusion: L-Carnitine has neuroprotective benefits against OGD in rat primary cortical neurons in vitro.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.47-56
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• 1998

In the present study, we assayed a number of compounds isolated from Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Araliaceae) for an ability to protect rat cortical cell cultures from the deleterious effects of the neurotoxicant, glutamate. We found that ginsenosides Rbl and Rg3 significantly attenuated glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Brief exposure of cultures to excess glutamate caused extensive neuronal death. Glutamate-induced neuronal cell damage was significantly reduced by pretreatment with Rbl and Rgl. Ginsenosides Rbl and Rg3 inhibited the overproduction of nitric oxide which routinely follows glutamate neurotoxicity and preserved the level of superoxide dismutase in glutamate-treated cells. Furthermore, in cultures treated with glutamate, these ginsenosides inhibited the formation of malondialdehyde, a compound produced during lipid peroxidation, and diminished the influx of calcium. These results show that ginsenosides Rbl and Rg1 exerted significant neuroprotective effects on cultured cortical cells. As such, these compounds may be efficacious in protecting neurons from oxidative damage produced by exposure to excess glutamate.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.197.1-197.1
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• 2003

Neuronal hyperexcitability followed by high level of intracellular calcium and oxidative stress play critical roles in neuronal cell death in stroke and neurotrauma. Hence, KR-31378, a novel benzopyran derivative was designed as a new therapeutic strategy for neuroprotection possessing both anti-oxidant and potassium channel modulating activities. In the present study, we tested for its neuroprotective efficacy against oxidative stress-induced cell death in primary cortical cultures and further investigated its neuroprotective mechanism. (omitted)

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.3860-3863
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• 2010

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.699-706
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• 2006

The present study evaluated antioxidant and neuroprotective activities of hesperidin, a flavanone mainly isolated from citrus fruits, and its aglycone hesperetin using cell-free bioassay system and primary cultured rat cortical cells. Both hesperidin and hesperetin exhibited similar patterns of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activities. While hesperidin was inactive, hesperetin was found to be a potent antioxidant, inhibiting lipid peroxidation initiated in rat brain homogenates by $Fe^{2+}$ and L-ascorbic acid. In consistence with these findings, hesperetin protected primary cultured cortical cells against the oxidative neuronal damage induced by $H_2O_2$ or xanthine and xanthine oxidase. In addition, it was shown to attenuate the excitotoxic neuronal damage induced by excess glutamate in the cortical cultures. When the excitotoxicity was induced by the glutamate receptor subtype-selective ligands, only the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-induced toxicity was selectively and markedly inhibited by hesperetin. Furthermore, hesperetin protected cultured cells against the $A_{{\beta}(25-35)}-induced$ neuronal damage. Hesperidin, however, exerted minimal or no protective effects on the neuronal damage tested in this study. Taken together, these results demonstrate potent antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of hesperetin, implying its potential role in protecting neurons against various types of insults associated with many neurodegenerative diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2000

We examined the neurotoxic effects of 3 glutathione (GSH) depletors, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), diethyl maleate (DEM) and phorone, under the presence of trolox, cycloheximide (CHX), pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) or MK-801 in primary mouse cortical cell cultures. All three depletors induced neuronal death in dose and exposure time dependent manner, and decreased total cellular GSH contents. The patterns of the neuronal death and the GSH decrements were dependent on the individual agents. DEM $(200\;{\mu}M)$ induced rapid and irreversible decrement of the GSH. BSO (1 mM) also decreased the GSH irreversibly but the rate of decrement was more progressive than that of DEM. Phorone (1 mM) reduced the GSH content to 40% by 4 hr exposure, that is comparable to the decrement of BSO, but the GSH recovered and reached over the control value by 36 hr exposure. BSO showed a minimal neurotoxicity $(0{\sim}10%)$ at the end of 24 hr exposure, but marked neuronal cell death at the end of 48 hr exposure. The BSO (1 mM)-induced neurotoxicity was markedly inhibited by trolox or CHX and partially attenuated by MK-801. DEM induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity at the end of 24 hr exposure. Over the doses of $400\;{\mu}M,$ glial toxicity also appeared. DEM $(200\;{\mu}M)-induced$ neurotoxicity was markedly inhibited by trolox or PDTC. Phorone (1 mM) induced moderate neurotoxicity (40%) at the end of 48 hr exposure. Only CHX showed significant inhibitory effect on the phorone-induced neurotoxicity. These results suggest that the GSH depletors induce neuronal injury via different mechanisms and that GSH depletors should be carefully employed in the researches of neuronal oxidative injuries.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2008

The leaves of Perilla frutescens Britt. var. japonica Hara (Labiatae) are often used in gourmet food in several Asian countries. Two kinds of perilla cultivars, Namcheon (NC) and Bora (BR), have been respectively developed in Korea by the pure line of 'deulkkae' from the local variety and by the cross of 'deulkkae' and 'chajogi'. The present study evaluated and compared antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of the fractions prepared from the leaves of the two cultivars using cell-free bioassay systems and primary cultured rat cortical cells. We found that the spirit, chloroform, hexane and butanol fractions from NC and BR leaves inhibited lipid peroxidation initiated in rat brain homogenates by $Fe^{2+}$ and L-ascorbic acid. In contrast, only the spirit and butanol fractions from both cultivars exhibited 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity. Among the fractions tested, the butanol fractions from NC and BR leaves exhibited the most potent antioxidant properties, and the butanol fraction from BR was more potent than the NC fraction. In consistence with these findings, the butanol fractions from both cultivars protected primary cultured cortical cells from the oxidative damage induced by $H_2O_2$ or xanthine and xanthine oxidase, with the BR butanol fraction being more active. The butanol fractions from NC and BR did not produce cytotoxicity in our cultures treated for 24 h at the concentrations of up to $100\;{\mu}g/ml$. Taken together, these results indicate that the leaves of the two cultivars of Perilla frutescens exert antioxidant and neuroprotective effects, and that the butanol fraction from BR leaves exhibits the most potent antioxidative neuroprotection among the fractions tested in this study.