2. Academic Validation
  3. Traditional Chinese Nootropic Medicine Radix Polygalae and Its Active Constituent Onjisaponin B Reduce β-Amyloid Production and Improve Cognitive Impairments

Traditional Chinese Nootropic Medicine Radix Polygalae and Its Active Constituent Onjisaponin B Reduce β-Amyloid Production and Improve Cognitive Impairments

  • PLoS One. 2016 Mar 8;11(3):e0151147. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151147.
Xiaohang Li 1 2,  Jin Cui 1 2,  Yang Yu 3,  Wei Li 1 2,  Yujun Hou 1,  Xin Wang 1 2,  Dapeng Qin 3,  Cun Zhao 1 2,  Xinsheng Yao 3,  Jian Zhao 1 4,  Gang Pei 1 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
  • 2 Graduate School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
  • 3 Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
  • 4 Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
  • 5 School of Life Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
PMID: 26954017 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151147
Abstract

Decline of cognitive function is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), regardless of the pathological mechanism. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used to combat cognitive impairments and has been shown to improve learning and memory. Radix Polygalae (RAPO) is a typical and widely used herbal medicine. In this study, we aimed to follow the β-amyloid (Aβ) reduction activity to identify active constituent(s) of RAPO. We found that Onjisaponin B of RAPO functioned as RAPO to suppress Aβ production without direct inhibition of β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE1) and γ-secretase activities. Our mechanistic study showed that Onjisaponin B promoted the degradation of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Further, oral administration of Onjisaponin B ameliorated Aβ pathology and behavioral defects in APP/PS1 mice. Taken together, our results indicate that Onjisaponin B is effective against AD, providing a new therapeutic agent for further drug discovery.

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