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Trophic Effects of Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) and its Fractions on Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons from Fetal Rat Brain
Author(s) -
Moriguchi Toru,
Nishiyama Nobuyoshi,
Saito Hiroshi,
Katsuki Hiroshi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1573(199609)10:6<468::aid-ptr877>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - hippocampal formation , fetus , neurotrophin , biology , central nervous system , neurotrophic factors , axon , endocrinology , medicine , biochemistry , neuroscience , pregnancy , genetics , receptor
The effects of aged garlic extract (AGE) and its fractions were studied on the survival and morphology of the primary cultured hippocampal neurons from fetal rat brain. The addition of AGE to the culture medium significantly increased the survival of cultured hippocampal neurons and the number of branching points per axon. The neurotrophic activity of AGE resided in a water‐soluble‐low‐molecular‐weight fraction, which is an unrefined fraction that contains 94% of constituents in crude AGE. On the other hand, the protein fraction purified from a high‐molecular‐weight fraction, showed a potent survival‐promoting effect without any effect on the neuronal morphology. These results suggest that AGE contains multiple components which have neurotrophic activity and that AGE and its fractions are useful substances for preventing age‐related morphological changes in the central nervous system.