Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Asiaticoside ameliorates neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress in vascular dementia rats via cAMP-PKA axis activation

Zhiwei Wang¹ , Hao Shen¹, Yishu Hao¹, Qing Zhu²

¹Department of Internal Neurology, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310007, China; ²Department of Gerontology, Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310007, China.

For correspondence:- Zhiwei Wang Email: wangzhiwei2110@163.com Tel:+8657185827827

Accepted: 15 December 2021 Published: 31 January 2022

Citation: Wang Z, Shen H, Hao Y, Zhu Q. Asiaticoside ameliorates neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress in vascular dementia rats via cAMP-PKA axis activation. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(1):13-18 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i1.3

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of asiaticoside (AS) on vascular dementia (VD) development and elucidate its mechanism of action.

Methods: A VD rat model was established via bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. The cognitive function of VD rats was evaluated using Morris water maze test. The contents of malondialdehyde (MAD) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while Western blot was used to determine protein levels.

Results: Compared to model group, AS significantly improved the cognitive dysfunction of VD rats (p < 0.01). In addition, AS significantly inhibited oxidative stress of VD rats compared with model group (p < 0.01). AS also alleviated the apoptosis of brain tissue and activated cAMP-PKA axis in VD rats, relative to model group (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: AS attenuates cognitive dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuronal apoptosis in VD via activation of cAMP-PKA axis. Thus, AS is a potential drug for the treatment of VD, but further investigation is required to ascertain this.

Keywords: Asiaticoside, Vascular dementia, Cognitive dysfunction, Oxidative stress, Apoptosis