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PubMed2002

Protection of cultured rat cortical neurons from excitotoxicity by asarone, a major essential oil component in the rhizomes of Acorus gramineus.

Previous reports have shown that the methanol extract and the essential oil from Acori graminei Rhizoma (AGR) inhibited excitotoxic neuronal cell death in primary cultured rat cortical cells. In the present study, an active principle was isolated from the methanol extract by biological activity-guided fractionations and identified as asarone. We evaluated neuroprotective actions and action mechanisms of the isolated asarone as well as the alpha- and the beta-asarone obtained commercially. The isolated asarone inhibited the excitotoxicity induced by the exposure of cortical cultures for 15 min to 300 microM NMDA in a concentration-dependent manner, with the IC50 of 56.1 microg/ml. The commercially obtained alpha- and beta-asarone exhibited more potent inhibitions of the NMDA-induced excitotoxicity than the isolated asarone. Their respective IC50 values were 18.2 and 26.5 microg/ml. The excitotoxicity induced by glutamate (Glu) was also inhibited, but with much less potency than the toxicity induced by NMDA. The IC50 values for the alpha-, beta-, and the isolated asarone were 89.7, 121.7, and 279.5 microg/ml, respectively. Based on the receptor-ligand binding studies using a use-dependent NMDA receptor-channel blocker [3H]MK-801, asarone inhibited the specific bindings in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results indicate that asarone, the major essential oil component in AGR, exhibits neuroprotective action against the NMDA- or Glu-induced excitotoxicity through the blockade of NMDA receptor function. The alpha-asarone was found to exhibit more potent inhibition of [3H]MK-801 bindings, which is consistent with its more potent neuroprotective action than the beta- or the isolated asarone.

Acorus↗
PubMed2004

[Changes of amino acid content in hippocampus of epileptic rats treated with volatile oil of Acorus tatarinowii].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid content in hippocampus of epileptic rats treated with volatile oil of A. tatarinowii, and explore the possible antiepiletic mechanism. METHOD: The volatile oil was extracted through Supercritical-CO2 Fluid Extraction (SFE-CO2), and epileptic models were built up by kainic acid (KA) lateral ventricle injection. The content of amino acid in hippocampus of epileptic rats treated with volatile oil was calculated. RESULT: The content of GABA increased and Glu decreased prominently (P < 0.05) after volatile oil 35 mg x kg(-1) intraperitoneal injection. CONCLUSION: The volatile oil of A. tatarinowii can modulate the balance of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid in epileptic rats, thereby exerting its antiepileptic effect.

Acorus↗