Current Progress on Neuroprotection Induced by Artemisia, Ginseng, Astragalus, and Ginkgo Traditional Chinese Medicines for the Therapy of Alzheimer’s Disease

Figure 1

Neuroprotection induced by Artemisia, Ginseng, Astragalus, and Ginkgo traditional Chinese medicines for the therapy of Alzheimer’s disease. (a) Several Artemisinin analogs such as Artemether and Artesunate can attenuate Aβ25-35-induced cognitive impairments by downregulating Aβ, BACE1, and tau proteins in different AD mouse models. (b) Compounds of Ginseng which have a four-ring steroidal structure with attached sugar moieties that account for their pharmacological activities by enabling their interaction with cell membranes, ion channels, and receptors. (c) AS-IV is the main active ingredient in Astragalus. AS-IV treatment reduced cortical neuron degeneration and memory deficits in AD rats and inhibited Aβ-induced PD. (d) Ginkgo biloba extracts can reduce the Aβ toxicity by inhibiting the formation of Aβ-fibrils, and ginkgolide A, bilobalide, and flavonoids can enhance the degradation of the phosphorylated-cytoskeleton tau protein in the lysosomes of neurons. In addition, Gingko biloba extract can improve cognitive function, decrease phosphorylated-tau protein levels, and ameliorate the loss of synaptophysin in tau-transgenic mice and neuronal cultures. (e) Calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative cell injury induced by misfolded tau and β-amyloid play an important role the pathological changes seen in AD. Red arrows indicate increase and blue arrows indicate decrease of signals, all contributing to neuroprotection in AD.