n-butanol fraction of ethanol extract of Periploca forrestii Schltr.: its active components, targets and pathways for treating Alcheimer's disease in rats.
10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2025.04.14
- Author:
Niandong RAN
1
;
Jie LIU
1
;
Jian XU
1
;
Yongping ZHANG
1
;
Jiangtao GUO
1
Author Information
1. School of Pharmacy, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Alzheimer's disease;
Periploca forrestii Schltr.;
UPLC-QE-MS;
chemical constituents;
n-butanol extract;
network pharmacology
- MeSH:
Animals;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley;
Rats;
1-Butanol/chemistry*;
Plant Extracts/pharmacology*;
Periploca/chemistry*;
Ethanol/chemistry*;
Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy*;
Male;
Molecular Docking Simulation;
Apoptosis/drug effects*
- From:
Journal of Southern Medical University
2025;45(4):785-798
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES:To investigate the active components and possible mechanisms of n-butanol fraction of Periploca forrestii Schltr. ethanol extract for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD).
METHODS:The active components of n-butanol fraction of Periploca forrestii Schltr. ethanol extract were analyzed using UPLC-QE-MS technique. In a SD rat model of AD induced by treatment with AlCl3 and D-gal, the therapeutic effects of low, moderate and high doses of the n-butanol fraction, saline, and donepezil hydrochloride were evaluated using ELISA, HE and Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The therapeutic mechanisms of the n-butanol fraction were explored using network pharmacology and molecular docking.
RESULTS:Seventeen active components were identified from the n-butanol fraction of Periploca forrestii Schltr. ethanol extract, including phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, triterpenoids, steroids, and volatile oils. In the rat models of AD, treatment with the n-butanol fraction significantly lowed AChE content in the hippocampus, increased the contents of ACh, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, enhanced the expressions of neuronal apoptotic factors Bcl-2, PI3K, Akt, p-PI3K, and p-Akt, and reduced the expressions of Bax and caspase-3 proteins. The treatment also dose-dependently up-regulated hippocampal expressions of Nrf-2, HO-1 and BDNF and down-regulated Keap-1, Aβ and Tau expressions. Bioinformatics analysis identified 14 key intersected targets (including TNF, AKT1 and ESR1) between the n-butanol fraction and AD.
CONCLUSIONS:The therapeutic effect of n-butanol fraction of Periploca forrestii Schltr. ethanol extract in AD mice is mediated by its multiple active components that regulate multiple targets and pathways.
