Cytoprotective effects of Lycium barbarum against reducing stress on endoplasmic reticulum

  • Authors:
    • Man-Shan Yu
    • Yuen-Shan Ho
    • Kwok-Fai So
    • Wai-Hung Yuen
    • Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: June 1, 2006     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.17.6.1157
  • Pages: 1157-1161
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Abstract

Chinese medicinal herbs have been consumed for thousands of years for the purpose of healthy aging. Lycium barbarum is valued in Chinese culture for its benefits to anti-aging, vision, kidney and liver. Recent studies showed that extracts from L. barbarum possess biological activities including anti-aging, anti-tumor, immune-stimulatory and cytoprotection. Most of these studies emphasized that the protective function of L. barbarum is due to its anti-oxidative effects. We have previously demonstrated that extract from L. barbarum can protect neurons against β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide-induced apoptosis. Since Aβ toxicity may be mediated via oxidative stress, it is still unclear whether the extract from L. barbarum is a simple anti-oxidant exhibiting cytoprotective effects. We hypothesized that extract from L. barbarum is not simply an anti-oxidant in order to function as a neuroprotective agent. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the extract from L. barbarum (LBG) protect neurons via mechanisms independent of anti-oxidative effects. Using a reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT), we found that LBG exhibits cytoprotective effects against reducing stress by lowering the DTT-induced LDH release and caspase-3 activity. DTT can trigger endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) activation. We also showed that LBG attenuates DTT-induced PERK phosphorylation. The extract from L. barbarum is not simply an anti-oxidant; it can also exhibit cytoprotective effects against reducing stress by DTT.

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June 2006
Volume 17 Issue 6

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Yu M, Ho Y, So K, Yuen W and Chang RC: Cytoprotective effects of Lycium barbarum against reducing stress on endoplasmic reticulum. Int J Mol Med 17: 1157-1161, 2006.
APA
Yu, M., Ho, Y., So, K., Yuen, W., & Chang, R.C. (2006). Cytoprotective effects of Lycium barbarum against reducing stress on endoplasmic reticulum. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 17, 1157-1161. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.17.6.1157
MLA
Yu, M., Ho, Y., So, K., Yuen, W., Chang, R. C."Cytoprotective effects of Lycium barbarum against reducing stress on endoplasmic reticulum". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 17.6 (2006): 1157-1161.
Chicago
Yu, M., Ho, Y., So, K., Yuen, W., Chang, R. C."Cytoprotective effects of Lycium barbarum against reducing stress on endoplasmic reticulum". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 17, no. 6 (2006): 1157-1161. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.17.6.1157