The Effects of Yuan-Zhi Decoction and Its Active Ingredients in Both In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion by Regulating the Levels of Aβ and Autophagy

3,6'-Disinapoyl sucrose alleviates cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with insidious onset and progressive development. There is an urgent need to find drugs that prevent and slow AD progression. We focus our attention on 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose (DISS), an oligosaccharide with antidepressant and antioxidant activities. In this work, APP/PS1 transgenic mice were used to explore the neuroprotective impact of DISS to provide new applications for prevention and therapy of AD. This study aims to assess DISS's neuroprotective impact on learning and memory deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice using behavioral tests (Morris water maze, novel object recognition test, and passive avoidance test). Morphological alterations of hippocampus neurons were observed by Nissl staining and neuronal apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay. By using ELISA, the expressions of inflammatory factors were evaluated, and Western blotting was used to measure the protein expressions of neuron-related regulators in the hippocampus. DISS significantly ameliorated the cognitive disorder in APP/PS1 transgenic mice, reduced apoptosis by decreasing the ratio of Bax/B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) in hippocampal neurons, and restored the abnormal secretion of inflammatory factors (IL-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6). Moreover, the gavage of high-dose DISS can boost the expressions of CREB/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Overall, our results indicate that DISS improves cognitive function in APP/PS1 transgenic mice by inhibiting neural apoptosis and activating the CREB/BDNF signal pathway.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, for the first time, DISS was used in APP/PS1 transgenic mice to explore its neuroprotective effect. After gavage DISS for 1 mo, the impairment of learning and spatial memory ability and the loss of neurons in APP/PS1 mice were alleviated. DISS reduced a neuroprotective effect in AD mice via decreasing neuronal apoptosis, enhancing the expressions of CREB phosphorylation and BDNF, pointing to DISS as a new therapeutic target for AD.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervenes in Vascular Dementia: Traditional Medicine Brings New Expectations

Vascular dementia (VD) is one of the most common forms of dementia, referring to a group of symptoms that mainly manifest as advanced neurocognitive dysfunction induced by cerebrovascular disease (CVD). A significant number of studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a clinical impact on VD and thus has promising prospects. There have been many discussions regarding the pharmacological mechanisms involved in treatment of the kidney, elimination of turbidity, and promotion of blood circulation. TCM has a prominent effect on improving patients’ cognitive function and quality of life. In this review, we summarize the pathogenesis of VD in modern medicine and TCM, traditional prescriptions, single-agent effective ingredients and their pharmacological mechanisms for treating VD, highlight TCM’s characteristics, and discuss TCM’s multi-targeted mechanism for the treatment of VD.