Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4): 605-609.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.155435

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Puerarin exhibits greater distribution and longer retention time in neurons than astrocytes in a co-cultured system

Shu-Yong Wei 1, 2, Jie Tong 1, Qiang Xue 1, Fang-hong Shang 1, Yan-jun Li 1, Yang Liu 1, Bin-bin Feng 3, Xiao-yu Xu 1   

  1. 1 Pharmaceutical Sciences College & Chinese Medicine College of Southwest University; Chongqing Engineering Research Center for
    Pharmacodynamics Evaluation, Chongqing, China
    2 Rongchang Campus of Southwest University, Chongqing, China
    3 Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College, Chongqing, China
  • Received:2015-01-22 Online:2015-04-22 Published:2015-04-22
  • Contact: Xiao-yu Xu, xuxiaoyu@swu.edu.cn.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 31402237, 81473549; the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities in China, No. XDJK2014C058, XDJK2014D023, XDJK2015D016; a grant from the National Key New Drug Development Project of China, No. 2014ZX09304-306-04; the Fundamental and Front Research Funds of Chongqing of China, No. CSTC2014jcyjA80023; and a grant from the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing of China, No. CSTC2012jjA10012.

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Abstract:

The phytoestrogen puerarin has been shown to protect neurons and astrocytes in the brain, and is therefore an attractive drug in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cerebral ischemia. Whether puerarin exhibits the same biological processes in neurons and astrocytes in vitro has rarely been reported. In this study, cortical neurons and astrocytes of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were separated, identified and co-cultured in a system based on Transwell membranes. The retention time and distribution of puerarin in each cell type was detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry and fluorescence microscope. The concentration of puerarin in both co-cultured and separately cultured neurons was greater than that of astrocytes. Puerarin concentration reached a maximum 20 minutes after it was added. At 60 minutes after its addition, a scant amount of drug was detected in astrocytes; however in both separately cultured and co-cultured neurons, the concentration of puerarin achieved a stable level of about 12.8 ng/mL. The results indicate that puerarin had a higher concentration and longer retention time in neurons than that observed in astrocytes.

Key words: nerve regeneration, puerarin, in vitro experiments, co-culture, neurons, astrocytes, Transwell, neonatal rats, neural regeneration