Title:Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Improves Neurotrophic Factors Release in Cultured Astroglia
Volume: 15
Issue: 4
Author(s): FengQin Lin, YanZhen Zhou, WanLan Shi, YanYing Wan, ZeGang Zhang and Feng Zhang
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside, astroglia, neurotrophic factors.
Abstract: Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG), one of the main ingredients of Polygonum
multiflorum, has a great number of beneficial effects for health including anti-oxidant, free radicalscavenging
and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential effects of TSG on neurotrophic
factors release remain unclear. In this study, rat primary astroglia cultures were applied to investigate
TSG-mediated neurotrophic effects. The protein levels and production of glial cell-line derived
neurotrophic factor (GDNF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in astroglia and
the culture medium were determined by western blotting assay and ELISA, respectively. Results indicated that TSG
increased the production of neurotrophic factors in a concentration-dependent manner. At different time points of TSG
treatment, the BDNF and NGF production in the culture medium was increased 48 h after treatment, while GDNF
secretion was initially induced 24 h after TSG treatment. Consistent with the neurotrophic factors release, TSG
significantly increased the BDNF, GDNF and NGF protein expressions in astroglia. Furthermore, TSG significantly
induced the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and a specific ERK inhibitor-U0126
inhibited TSG-mediated secretion of BDNF, GDNF and NGF. Overall, this study demonstrated that TSG induces
astroglia-derived neurotrophic factors release, suggesting TSG might hold a therapeutic potential for neurological
disorders.
