Traditional Chinese Medicine for Senile Dementia

Table 6

(a) Memory-improving and neuro-protective effects of Radix Angelica sinensis

Test	Test materials/dose	Test model	Endpoint/biomarkers	Effects	Mechanisms	Reference
In vivo	Extracts 1 g/kg	scopolamine-treated rats cycloheximide-treated rats	Step-through test	Improve memory	N.A.	[62]
In vitro	Extracts 25–200 μg/ml	Aβ-treated Neuro 2A cells	MTT assay/ΔΨm ROS/LPO/GSH	Protect neurons	Quench oxidative stress	[63]

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT); Lipid peroxidation (LPO); mitochondrial transmembrane potential (ΔΨm); β amyloid (Aβ); glutathione (GSH); not available (N.A.).

(b) Memory-improving and neuro-protective effects of active components from Radix Angelica sinensis

Test	Test materials/dose	Test model	Endpoint/biomarkers	Effects	Mechanisms	Reference
In vivo	Ferulic acid s.c., 5 mg/kg/d, 6 d	dl-buthionine-(S,R)-Sulfoximine treated mice	Object recognition test Oxidative carbonyl protein	Improve memory	Elevate carbonyl protein	[66]
	Ferulic acid 28 d	Trimethyltin-treated mice	Y-maze testPassive avoidance testChAT	Improve memory	Activate ChAT	[67]
	Ferulic acid i.p., 20–80 mg/kg, 3 d	Glutamate-treated mice	Behavioral test histopathology [(3)H]-labeled glutamate bcl-2/caspase-3	Protect brain	NMDA receptor antagonist	[68]
	Ferulic acid 0.006%, 4 w	Aβ1-42-treated mice	Step-through test Y-maze test Water maze test GFAP/IL-1 β	Improve memoryProtect brain	Suppress astrocytes immunoreactivities	[69]
	Ferulic acid 50–100 mg/kg	Scopolamine-treated rats Cycloheximide-treated rats	Step-through test	Improve memory	Cholinergic Enhance CBF	[70]
	Z-ligustilide 10–40 mg/kg, 4 w	CCAO-treated rats	Morris water maze Neurons/astrocytes count MDA/SOD/ChAT/AChE	Improve memory	Inhibit oxidative stress Cholinergic	[71]
	Z-ligustilide 20–80 mg/kg	MCAO-treated rats	TTC staining Brain swelling Behavioural score	Protect brain	N.A.	[72]
	Z-ligustilide 5–20 mg/kg	IR-treated ICR mice	TTC staining MDA/GSH-Px/SOD Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3	Protect brain	Inhibit oxidative stress Inhibit apoptosis	[73]

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT); cerebral blood flow (CBF); glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP); interleukin-1 (IL-1); glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX); 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC); subcutaneously (s.c.); ischemia-reperfusion (IR); superoxide dismutase (SOD); malondialdehyde (MDA); acetylcholinesterase (AChE); common carotid arteries occlusion (CCAO); middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO); β amyloid (Aβ); N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA); not available (N.A.).