Background Shende’an tablet (SDA) is a newly developed Chinese herbs formula derived from the chinese traditional medicine Zhenganxifeng Decoction, which is approved for treatment of neurasthenia and insomnia in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective effects of SDA against Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods In the present work, PC12 cells transfected with or without A53T α-syn genes and MPTP-induced PD mice were used as models to elucidate protective effects of SDA on dopamine (DA) neurons, and the involvement of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling in α-syn clearance in PC12/α-syn cells stimulated with Doxycycline (Dox) and reversal of MPTP-induced toxicity in PD mice. Results Our results demonstrated that SDA had neuroprotection effect in dopaminergic PC12 cells with 6-OHDA. It had also displayed efficient dopaminergic neuronal protection and motor behavior alleviation properties in MPTP-induced PD mice. In the PC12/α-syn cells and MPTP-induced PD animal models, SDA was highly efficacious in α-syn clearance associated with activation of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signal pathway. Conclusion The results of our study suggest that SDA could be a potential therapeutic drug for PD through protecting dopamine neurons and alleviating the motor symptoms, and the mechanism might be related to the activation of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signal pathway.

Background Shende’an tablet (SDA) is a newly developed Chinese herbs formula derived from the chinese traditional medicine Zhenganxifeng Decoction, which is approved for treatment of neurasthenia and insomnia in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective effects of SDA against Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods In the present work, PC12 cells transfected with or without A53T α-syn genes and MPTP-induced PD mice were used as models to elucidate protective effects of SDA on dopamine (DA) neurons, and the involvement of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling in α-syn clearance in PC12/α-syn cells stimulated with Doxycycline (Dox) and reversal of MPTP-induced toxicity in PD mice. Results Our results demonstrated that SDA had neuroprotection effect in dopaminergic PC12 cells with 6-OHDA. It had also displayed efficient dopaminergic neuronal protection and motor behavior alleviation properties in MPTP-induced PD mice. In the PC12/α-syn cells and MPTP-induced PD animal models, SDA was highly efficacious in α-syn clearance associated with activation of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signal pathway. Conclusion The results of our study suggest that SDA could be a potential therapeutic drug for PD through protecting dopamine neurons and alleviating the motor symptoms, and the mechanism might be related to the activation of PGC-1α/Nrf2 signal pathway.