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Anti-convulsant Effect and Mechanism of Astragalus mongholicus Extract In Vitro and In Vivo: Protection Against Oxidative Damage and Mitochondrial Dysfunction

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Abstract

Astragalus mongholicus (AM) is a traditional medicinal herb used as a neuroprotective agent for its anxiolytic, antidepressant, antiamnestic, and antiaggresive effects. However, the mechanisms underlying its anti-convulsant properties are not well studied. In the present study, we examined the anticonvulsant effects on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice and the possible mechanisms of protection against oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. The behavioral studies showed that the root extract of AM had powerful anticonvulsant effects against seizures induced by PTZ and the biochemical studies showed that root extract of AM inhibited PTZ-induced increase in lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and reactive oxygen species, and enhanced mitochondrial function. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy studies demonstrated that the extracts from the root and aerial parts of AM possess potent effects on scavenging hydroxyl and lipid free radicals. We found that AM extract significantly protected malondialdehyde-induced oxidative damage by ameliorating activities of the mitochondrial complexes I, II, malate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial membrane potential. These data suggest that the anti-convulsant effects of AM extract may be mediated by its protective actions against oxidative damage and amelioration of mitochondrial dysfunction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Edward Sharman for critical reading of this manuscript. This study was supported by Pujiang Talent Award (05PG14104; J. L.) from the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee, Shanghai, China and a scholarship of the Third World Academy of Sciences (J. A.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mitochondrial Biology and Medicine, Department of Biological Science and Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Life Science and Technology, 28 W. Xian-Ning Road, Xi’an, China

    Jalsrai Aldarmaa, Jiangang Long, Xiaoyan Mo, Jiangang Ma & Jiankang Liu

  2. Institute for Nutritional Science, Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China

    Jalsrai Aldarmaa & Zhongbo Liu

  3. Traditional Medicine, Science, Technology and Production Corporation, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

    Jalsrai Aldarmaa

  4. University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA

    Jiankang Liu

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  1. Jalsrai Aldarmaa
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Correspondence to Jiankang Liu.

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Aldarmaa, J., Liu, Z., Long, J. et al. Anti-convulsant Effect and Mechanism of Astragalus mongholicus Extract In Vitro and In Vivo: Protection Against Oxidative Damage and Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Neurochem Res 35, 33–41 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-009-0027-4

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