Review Article
Potential Application of Yokukansan as a Remedy for Parkinson’s Disease
Table 3
Neuroprotective effect of YKS on various in vitro systems.
| Model | Cell type | Inducer | Extracts/components | Dose/route/regimen | Major finding | Histological & biochemical evaluation | Reference |
| Neuroprotection | Hippocampal neurons | Corticosterone (CORT) | YKS | 100-1000 μg/mL, p.o.; five times every 12 h before cocaine treatment | Cell survival rates measured by the WST-8 and LDH assays ↑ | | [52] | Rat cortical neurons | 20 μM Aβ-induced cytotoxicity | YGS | 10−5 g/L (w/v) for 24 h before exposure to 20 μM Aβ | The surviving cortical neurons determined by MTT and LDH assays ↑ | | [53] |
| Oxidative stress | PC12 cells | Glutamate (1–17.5 mM)-induced cytotoxicity | YKS | 125-500 μg /mL | Protection against PC12 cell death determined by MTT assay | Reduction of intracellular GSH level ↓ | [54] | PC12 cells | Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis | YGS40 | 100 μmol/L of H2O2 for 12 h | Cytotoxicity determined by MTT and LDH assays ↓ | Annexin V-positive ↓; caspase-3 activity ↓; Bax ↓; Bcl-2 ↑; MMP loss ↓; activity of SOD ↑; MDA generation ↓ | [55] |
| Neurotransmission | Chinese hamster ovary cells | Competitive binding for 5-HT receptors on CHO (CHO-h5-HT1A) or CHO-K1 (CHO-K1-h5-HT2A) cells | YKS | 6.25-400 μg /mL | Partial agonistic effect on 5- receptors | | [56] |
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LDH=lactate dehydrogenase, MMP=mitochondrial membrane potential, SOD=superoxide dismutase, and MDA=malondialdehyde.
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