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Estrogen Receptors Are Involved in the Neuroprotective Effect of Silibinin in Aβ1–42-Treated Rats

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Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by a cascade of pathologic changes. A widely discussed theory indicates that amyloid β (Aβ) peptides are the causative agents of AD. Silibinin, a flavonoid derived from milk thistle, is well known for its hepato-protective activities and we have reported the neuroprotective effects of silibinin. In this study, we investigated the role of estrogen receptors (ERs) in silibinin’s neuroprotective effect on Aβ1−42-injected rats. Results of Morris water maze and novel object-recognition tests demonstrated that silibinin significantly attenuated Aβ1−42-induced memory impairment. Silibinin attenuated ERs and PI3K-Akt pathways, as well as modulated mitogen-activated protein kinases in the hippocampus of Aβ1−42-injected rats. Taken together, silibinin is a potential candidate in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81273517).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. China–Japan Research Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Xiaoyu Song, Bo Liu, Lingyu Cui, Biao Zhou, Lu Liu, Weiwei Liu, Guodong Yao, Mingyu Xia, Toshihiko Hayashi & Takashi Ikejima

  2. Medical Research Center, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China

    Xiaoyu Song

  3. Nippi Research Institute of Biomatrix, Toride, Ibaraki, 302-0017, Japan

    Shunji Hattori & Yuko Ushiki-Kaku

  4. Department of Medical Education & Primary Care, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kajiicho 465, Kamikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan

    Shin-ichi Tashiro

  5. School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery (Ministry of Education), Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Guodong Yao

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  1. Xiaoyu Song
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Correspondence to Takashi Ikejima.

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Song, X., Liu, B., Cui, L. et al. Estrogen Receptors Are Involved in the Neuroprotective Effect of Silibinin in Aβ1–42-Treated Rats. Neurochem Res 43, 796–805 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-018-2481-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-018-2481-3

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