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Effects of triptolide on degeneration of dendritic spines induced by Aβ1–40 injection in rat hippocampus

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Abstract

Although the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains elusive, mounting evidence continues to support the involvement of neuroinflammation in the development of AD. Triptolide isolated from the herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities. In this study, we observed the effects of triptolide on dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons in model rats with AD. Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, AD model group and triptolide-treated group. The AD model group was made with bilateral microinjection of aggregated beta-amyloid protein (Aβ)1–40 into hippocampus in rats and the control group rats were injected with normal saline in the same way. The triptolide-treated group rats were administered triptolide intraperitoneally for 30 days after microinjection of aggregated Aβ1–40 into hippocampus. Dendritic morphology of hippocampal neurons in each group was analyzed using Golgi staining and ImageJ software. Our data showed that the total number of intersection points of dendrites and spine density in hippocampal neurons in the AD model group were decreased as compared with the control group. However, the total number of intersection points of dendrites and spine density in hippocampal neurons in the triptolide-treated group were increased as compared with the AD model group. Our results indicate that triptolide can alleviate the degeneration of dendritic spines in hippocampal neurons in model rats with AD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30660073), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province of China (No. 20132BAB205085) and the Scientific Research Foundation of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education (No. GJJ12078).

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There are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Nanchang University, 461 Bayi Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China

    Bin Wan, Xiaoling Hu, Jing Nie, Ming Zhou, Baolin Yang, Yaobing Li, Wei Wen & Cheng Lü

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  1. Bin Wan
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  2. Xiaoling Hu
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  3. Jing Nie
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  4. Ming Zhou
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  5. Baolin Yang
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  6. Yaobing Li
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  7. Wei Wen
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  8. Cheng Lü
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Correspondence to Cheng Lü.

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Wan, B., Hu, X., Nie, J. et al. Effects of triptolide on degeneration of dendritic spines induced by Aβ1–40 injection in rat hippocampus. Neurol Sci 35, 35–40 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1463-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-013-1463-0

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