Ginsenoside Rh2 attenuates microglial activation against toxoplasmic encephalitis via TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway

Publication date: Available online 14 June 2019Source: Journal of Ginseng ResearchAuthor(s): Xiang Xu, Lan Jin, Tong Jiang, Ying Lu, Fumie Aosai, Hu-Nan Piao, Guang-Hua Xu, Cheng-Hua Jin, Xue-Jun Jin, Juan Ma, Lian-Xun PiaoAbstractBackgroundGinsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) is a characterized component in red ginseng widely used in Korea and China. GRh2 exhibits a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. However, its effects on Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection have not been clarified yet.MethodsThe effect of GRh2 against T. gondii was assessed under in vitro and in vivo experiments. The BV2 cells were infected with tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, and the effects of GRh2 were evaluated by MTT assay, morphological observations, immunofluorescence staining, a trypan blue exclusion assay, RT-PCR and western blot analyses. The in vivo experiment was conducted with BALB/c mice inoculated with lethal amounts of tachyzoites with or without GRh2 treatment.Results and conclusionThe GRh2 treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of T. gondii under in vitro and in vivo studies. Furthermore, GRh2 blocked the activation of microglia and specifically decreased the release of inflammatory mediators in response to T. gondii-infection through TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In mice, GRh2 conferred modest protection from a lethal dose of T. gondii. After the treatment, the proliferation of tachyzoites in the peritonea...
Source: Journal of Ginseng Research - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research