Study provides new insight into neuroprotective effects of Asiaticoside

In the central nervous system, Asiaticoside has been shown to attenuate in vitro neuronal damage caused by exposure to β-amyloid. However, its potential neuroprotective properties in glutamate-induced excitotoxicity have not been fully studied.

Researchers from Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA, China reported that pretreatment with Asiaticoside decreased neuronal cell loss in a concentration-dependent manner and restored changes in expression of apoptotic-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax.

Asiaticoside pretreatment also attenuated the upregulation of NR2B expression, a subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, but did not affect expression of NR2A subunits. Additionally, in cultured neurons, Asiaticoside significantly inhibited Ca2+ influx induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate. Their results provide a new insight into the neuroprotective effects of Asiaticoside. The relevant study has been published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 13, 2014).