Neuroprotective effects of cordycepin with anti-apoptosis mechanism based on mitochondrial pathway in rotenone-induced parkinsonism rat model.

Neuroprotective effects of cordycepin with anti-apoptosis mechanism based on mitochondrial pathway in rotenone-induced parkinsonism rat model. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2019 Sep 05;: Authors: Jiang X, Tang PC, Chen Q, Zhang X, Fan YY, Yu BC, Gu XX, Sun Y, Ge XQ, Zhang XL Abstract Cordycepin (Cor), one of the major bioactive components of traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps militaris, has been used in clinical practice for several years. However, the neuroprotective effect of Cor remains unknown. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of Cor on rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) rat and delineated the possible molecular mechanisms. In vivo, the behavioral tests were performed by the ten-point scale and grid tests, the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the striatum and the numbers of TH-positive neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. In vitro, the rate of cell apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were analyzed by flow cytometry, the mRNA and protein level of Bax, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Cytochrome c (Cyt-c) and Caspase-3 were determined by Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. The study showed that Cor significantly improved the dyskinesia, increased the numbers of TH-positive neurons in SNpc, and maintained th...
Source: CNS and Neurological Disorders Drug Targets - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets Source Type: research