Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (2): 271-276.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.152382

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Ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica increases cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the adolescent rat dentate gyrus

Bai Hui Chen 1, Joon Ha Park 2,Jeong Hwi Cho 2, In Hye Kim 2, Bich Na Shin 1, Ji Hyeon Ahn 2, Seok Joon Hwang 3, Bing Chun Yan 4, Hyun Jin Tae 5, Jae Chul Lee 2, Eun Joo Bae 6, Yun Lyul Lee 1, Jong Dai Kim 3, Moo-Ho Won 2, Il Jun Kang 7   

  1. 1 Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, and Institute of Neurodegeneration and Neuroregeneration, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea
    2 Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, South Korea
    3 Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon,
    South Korea
    4 Department of Integrative Traditional & Western Medicine, Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
    5 Department of Biomedical Science and Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hallym University, Chunchon, South Korea
    6 Department of Pediatrics, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchen, South Korea
    7 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, South Korea
  • Received:2014-12-10 Online:2015-02-17 Published:2015-02-17
  • Contact: Moo-Ho Won, D.V.M., Ph.D. or Il-Jun Kang, Ph.D., mhwon@kangwon.ac.kr or,ijkang@hallym.ac.kr.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by Hallym University Specialization Fund, No. HRF-S-12.

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Abstract:

Oenanthe javanica is an aquatic perennial herb that belongs to the Oenanthe genus in Apiaceae family, and it displays well-known medicinal properties such as protective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. However, few studies regarding effects of Oenanthe javanica on neurogenesis in the brain have been reported. In this study, we examined the effects of a normal diet and a diet containing ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adolescent rats using Ki-67 (an endogenous marker for cell proliferation) and doublecortin (a marker for neuroblast). Our results showed that Oenanthe javanica extract significantly increased the number of Ki-67-immunoreactive cells and doublecortin-immunoreactive neuroblasts in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the adolescent rats. In addition, the immunoreactivity of brain-derived neurotrophic factor was significantly increased in the dentate gyrus of the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. However, we did not find that vascular endothelial growth factor expression was increased in the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. These results indicate that Oenanthe javanica extract improves cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor immunoreactivity in the rat dentate gyrus.

Key words: nerve regeneration, Oenanthe javanica extract, cell proliferation, neuroblast differentiation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, rat, neural regeneration