Effects of Chinese herbal compound Huannaoyicongfang on inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in brain of APP transgenic mice

AIM: To study the effects of Chinese herbal compound Huannaoyicongfang (HNYCF) on inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress in the brain of Alzheimers disease (AD) animal model, and to explore its role in treating AD. METHODS: APP695V717I transgenic mice (3 months old),as an AD model in this study, were randomly divided into model group, donepezil group, HNYCF high-dose group and HNYCF low-dose group. C57BL/6J mice, which were of the same age and genetic background as the transgenic mice, were used as controls. The animals were administered intragastrically with the drug or water from 3 months old to 9 months old. Morris water maze test was performed to measure the spatial learning and memory ability. Step-down test was performed to observe the learning and memory ability of single passive avoidance response. The expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in hippocampus CA1 region was detected by immunohistochemistry with image analysis. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the brain cortex and hippocampus homogenate were measured by radioimmunoassay. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum was detected by colorimetry. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum was detected by thibabituric acid method. RESULTS: Morris water maze test showed that the times of crossing platform, and the swimming time and distance in the fourth quadrant in HNYCF groups were much more than those in model group. The step-down test manifested that the escape latency in HNYCF high-dose group was significantly longer than that in model group. Compared with model group, the expression of NF-κB obviously decreased, the expression of PPARγ significantly increased and the content of IL-6 was lower in HNYCF groups. The activity of serum SOD in HNYCF groups was significantly higher than that in model group. CONCLUSION: HNYCF evidently ameliorates the learning and memory ability in APP transgenic mice, which may be related to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects of HNYCF.