The potential neuroprotective properties of salidroside from Rhodiola rosea

Researchers from China investigated the potential neuroprotective properties of salidroside, a chemical compound found in the plant Rhodiola rosea. Their findings were published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

• Microglial activation leads to increased production of pro-inflammatory enzymes and cytokines, which is considered to be a key factor in neurodegenerative diseases. Only a few drugs target microglial activation.
• Recent studies have indicated that the chemical compound salidroside (Sal), which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, shows anti-inflammatory effects.
• The current study aims to explore the effect of Sal on microglia activation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 cells.
• The researchers found that Sal significantly inhibits the excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells.
• They also found that Sal treatment could suppress the mRNA and protein expressions of inflammatory enzymes, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).
• The researchers posited that these mechanisms may be related to the inhibition of the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
• The results showed that salidroside could inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced microglia activation via the inhibition of the NF-kB pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that salidroside could be a promising therapeutic agent for human neurodegenerative diseases.

Journal Reference:

Wang C, Lou Y, Xu J, Feng Z, Chen Y, Tang Q, Wang Q, Jin H, Wu Y, Tian N, Zhou Y, Xu H, Zhang X. ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS AND NF-KB PATHWAY IN SALIDROSIDE MEDIATED NEUROPROTECTION: POTENTIAL OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2017;45(07):1459–1475. DOI: 10.1142/s0192415x17500793