Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) Extract Enhances Phosphorylation of Cyclic AMP Response Element Binding Protein in Neuroblastoma Cells Expressing Amyloid Beta Peptide
Affiliations: [a] Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland Baltimore, MD 21201, USA | [b] Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Balthmore, MD, USA | [c] Department of Pharmacognosy, National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Yuan Luo, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland at Baltimore, 20 N Pine St, PH501, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. Tel.: +1 410 706 6639; Fax: +1 410 706 0346; E-mail: yluo@rx.umaryland.edu.
Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that shows cognitive deficits and memory impairment. Extract from the leaves of Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) have been used as an alternative medicine for memory improvement in Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine for a long time. Although several studies have revealed its effect in ameliorating the cognitive impairment in rat models of AD and stimulating property on neuronal dendrites of hippocampal region, the molecular mechanism of Gotu Kola on neuroprotection still remains to be elucidated. In this study, we report that phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) is enhanced in both a neuroblastoma cell line expressing amyloid beta 1–42 (Aβ) and in rat embryonic cortical primary cell culture. In addition, the contribution of two major single components to the enhanced CREB phosphorylatioin was examined. Furthermore, inhibitors were applied in this study revealing that ERK/RSK signaling pathway might mediate this effect of Gotu Kola extract. Taken together, we provide a possible molecular mechanism for memory enhancing property of Gotu Kola extract for the first time.
