Humulus japonicus inhibits the progression of Alzheimer's disease in a APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model

Abstract

Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc. (HJ) has traditionally been administered to patients with pulmonary disease, skin disease and hypertension in Korea, and it is considered to exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-mycobacterial effects. However, its effects against Alzheimer's disease (AD) have yet to be explored. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate whether HJ has a beneficial effect on the progression of AD in an animal model. A methanolic extract of HJ (500 mg/kg/day) was intragastrically administered to 5-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic (Tg-APP/PS1) mice for 2.5 months. Novel object recognition and Y-maze alteration tests were used to assess cognitive function, and an immunohistochemical assay was performed to assess amyloid β (Aβ) deposition, tau phosphorylation and gliosis. An in vitro assay using a microglial cell line was also performed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of HJ. Our results revealed that HJ significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induced by lipopolysaccharide in the microglial cell line. The administration of HJ for 2 months improved the cognitive function of Tg-APP/PS1 mice. HJ notably reduced the area occupied by Aβ and neurofibrillary tangles, and the number of activated astrocytes and microglia in the cortex of Tg-APP/PS1 mice. The findings of our study suggest that HJ has the therapeutic potential to inhibit the progression of AD and to improve cognitive deterioration in Tg-APP/PS1 mice.

Piperlongumine decreases cognitive impairment and improves hippocampal function in aged mice

“…The novel object recognition test was performed as described in previous studies ( 21 , 22 ). The mice were individually habituated to a testing chamber (40×20×20 cm 3 ) with no objects for 5 min and then placed in a testing chamber for 10 min with two identical objects (familiar, acquisition session).…”

Natural Extracts That Stimulate Adipocyte Browning and Their Underlying Mechanisms

“…Humulus japonicus , also known as “Japanese hop”, is a perennial herb belonging to the Cannabaceae family and is ubiquitously found in Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, and China [ 50 ]. H. japonicus has long been used in traditional medicine to cure skin diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, and hypertension [ 50 ].…”

“…Humulus japonicus , also known as “Japanese hop”, is a perennial herb belonging to the Cannabaceae family and is ubiquitously found in Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, and China [ 50 ]. H. japonicus has long been used in traditional medicine to cure skin diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, and hypertension [ 50 ]. Other biological effects of H. japonicus include antimutagenic, antibacterial, antiatheroma, antioxidant, antitumor, antimycobacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ].…”

Dereplication of Components Coupled with HPLC-qTOF-MS in the Active Fraction of Humulus japonicus and It’s Protective Effects against Parkinson’s Disease Mouse Model

“…Recent study has shown that the 70% EtOH extract of H. japonicus protects against oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro models of Parkinson’s disease [17] and attenuates neuroinflammation in murine models of Alzheimer’s disease [18]. Dereplication using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) in natural product research has recently been introduced as a key step in the identification of secondary metabolites in target extracts.…”