• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.138-150
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• 2004

Objectives : Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a geriatric dementia that is widespread in old age. In the near future AD will be the biggest problem in public health service. Although a variety of oriental prescriptions, including Sesim-tang, have been traditionally utilized for the treatment of AD, their pharmacological effects and action mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of Sesim-tang on apoptotic cell death induced by CT105 (carboxy terminal 105 amino acid peptide fragment of APP) overexpression in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cell lines. Methods: We studied the regenerative and inhibitory effects on Alzheimer's disease in CT105-induced SK-N-SH cell lines by Sesim-tang water extract. We examined for cell morphological pattern, DNA fragmentation, LDH activity assay, zymography assay, and immunohistochemistric analysis. Additionally, we investigated the association between the CT105 and neurite degeneration caused by CT105-induced apoptotic response in neurone cells. Results: Findings from our experiments have shown that Sesim-tang inhibits the synthesis or activities of CT105, which has neurotoxicities and apoptotic activities in the cell line. In addition, pretreatment with Sesim-tang ($>50\mu\textrm{g}/ml$ for 12 hours) partially prevented CT105-induced cytotoxicity in SK-N-SH cell lines. SK-N-SH cell lines overexpressed with CT105 exhibited remarkable apoptotic cell damage. Based on morphological observations by phase-contrast microscope and LDH activity measurements in the culture media, the CT105-induced cell death was significantly inhibited by Sesim-tang water extract. Sesim-tang was found to reduce the expression of APP and caspase-3 induced by CT105 in SK-N-SH cell lines and in rat hippocampus. Conclusions: As the result of this study, in the Sesim-tang group, apoptosis in the nervous system is inhibited, the repair against the degeneration of SK-N-SH cell lines by CT105 expression is promoted. Hence, Sesim-tang may be beneficial for the treatment of AD.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.137-149
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• 2001

Cytokines are polypeptides which possess various biological properties affecting. host defense function and response to disease. Inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$(TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin(IL)-1 and IL-6 induce inflammation, fever, hypotension and pain when injected into animals or human subject. When glial cell cultures were prepared from neonatal mice or rats, astrocytes were reported to produce these inflammatory cytokines to viral infection, lipopolysaccharide(LPS), or cytokines. The purpose of this study was to investigate the regulatory effect of these cytokines secretion from primary cultures of rat astrocytes. Substance P(SP) can stimulate secretion of TNF-${\alpha}$ from astrocytes stimulated with LPS. Sesim-Tang significantly inhibited the TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion by astrocytes stimulated with SP and LPS. IL-1 has been shown to elevate TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion from LPS-stimulated astrocytes while having no effect on astrocytes in the absence of LPS. We therefore also investigated whether IL-1 mediated inhibition of TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion from primary astrocytes by Sesim-Tang. Treatment of Sesim-Tang to astrocytes stimulated with both LPS and SP decreased IL-1 secretion significantly. The secretion of TNF-${\alpha}$ by LPS and SP in astrocytes was progressively inhibited with increasing amount of IL-1 neutralizing antibody. Furthermore Sesim-Tang inhibited the IL-6 secretion by astrocytes stimulated with SP and LPS. The inhibitory effect of inflammatory cytokines by Sesim-Tang, observed in this study, might reflect an antiinflammatory activity and a reduction of various-type pains, fever etc. in the central nervous system.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.688-699
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• 2007

This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the SST hot water extract & ultra-fine Powder on Alzheimer's Disease Model Induced by ${\beta}$A. The effects of the SST hot water extract on expression of IL-1${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, NOS-II, COX-2 mRNA and production of IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, NO in BV2 microglial cell line treated by lipopolysacchaide(LPS). The effects of the SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on (1) the behavior (2) expression of IL-1${\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, MDA, (3) Glucose, AChE in serum (4) the infarction area of the hippocampus, and brain tissue injury in Alzheimer's diseased mice induced with ${\beta}$A were investigated. The SST hot water extract suppressed the expression of IL-1${\beta}$, IL-6 and TNF-a mRNA ${\alpha}$in BV2 microglia cell line treated with LPS. The SST hot water extract suppressed the production of IL-1${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, NO in BV2 microglial cell line treated with LPS. The SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder a significant inhibitory effect on the memory deficit was shown for the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A in the Morris water maze experiment, which measured stop-through latency. The SST ultra-fine powder suppressed the expression of TNF-a protein significantly in the microglial cell of mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A. The SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder reduced the MDA and suppressed the over-expression of CD68, CD11b in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A. The SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder decreased AChE significantly in the serum of the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A. The SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder reduced infarction area of hippocampus, and controlled the injury of brain tissue in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A. The SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder reduced the tau protein, GFAP, and presenilin1, 2 of hippocampus in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by ${\beta}$A. These results suggest that the SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder may be effective for the prevention and treatment of A1zheimer's disease. Investigation into the clinical use of the SST hot water extract & ultra-fine powder for Alzheimer's disease is suggested for future research.