Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang Inhibits Microglial Activation to Protect Neuro-2A Neurons
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20261422
- VernacularTitle:柴胡加龙骨牡蛎汤抑制小胶质细胞活化保护Neuro-2A神经元的作用机制
- Author:
Xinqi YANG
1
;
Ruixuan GAO
2
;
Ziqi ZHANG
2
;
Yongsen JIA
1
;
Jingfeng OUYANG
2
Author Information
1. Traditional Chinese Medicine College， North China University of Science and Technology，Tangshan 063210，China
2. Experimental Research Center， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， Beijing 100700，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Parkinson's disease;
neuroinflammation;
Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang;
lipopolysaccharide （LPS）;
neuroprotective effect
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(22):31-39
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo examine the effects of Chaihu Jia Longgu Muli Tang （CLMT）-containing serum on Neuro-2A cell damage when exposed to conditioned medium from lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-stimulated microglia （BV-2） and explore the underlying mechanism. MethodsBV-2 cells were activated by LPS at a concentration of 1 mg·L-1 to generate conditioned medium. Concurrently， a blank control group， a model group and groups treated with varying concentrations of CLMT （5%， 10%， and 15%）， dexamethasone （2.5 μmol·L-1）， stimulator of interferon genes （STING） agonist （MSA-2， 10 μmol·L-1）， and STING inhibitor （STING-IN-4， 4 μmol·L-1） were established. Neuro-2A cells were subsequently cultured in the conditioned medium from each treatment group. The viability of BV-2 cells following interventions was assessed by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the supernatant of Neuro-2A cells from each group were measured through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Additionally， the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase （TH） in Neuro-2A cells was evaluated through immunohistochemistry （IHC）， while the expression of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein （p-α-Syn） was assessed by immunofluorescence （IF） assay. The expression levels of STING， interferon regulatory factor 3 （IRF3）， phosphorylated interferon regulatory factor 3 （p-IRF3）， nuclear transcription factor-kappa B p65 （NF-κB p65）， and phosphorylated nuclear transcription factor-kappa B p65 （p-NF-κB p65） in Neuro-2A cells were determined by Western blot. ResultsIn comparison to the control group， both the model group and the MSA-2 group exhibited reduced viability of Neuro-2A cells （P<0.01）， elevated concentrations of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 in the cell supernatant （P<0.01）， reduced expression of TH （P<0.01）， increased expression of p-α-Syn （P<0.01）， and upregulated relative protein levels of STING， p-IRF3， and p-NF-κB p65 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， medium- and high-dose CLMT enhanced the viability of Neuro-2A cells （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 （P<0.01）， promoted TH expression， and suppressed p-α-Syn expression （P<0.01）. In the dexamethasone group， the levels of IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-1β were reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the STING-IN-4 group， the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were decreased （P<0.01）. The expression of TH was increased in both the dexamethasone group and the STING-IN-4 group （P<0.01）， while the expression of p-α-Syn was reduced （P<0.01）. The relative protein levels of p-IRF3， STING， and p-NF-κB p65 were reduced in medium- and high-dose CLMT groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Similarly， the dexamethasone group exhibited decreases in the expression levels of STING， p-IRF3， and p-NF-κB p65 （P<0.01）. In the STING-IN-4 group， the expression levels of p-NF-κB p65， STING， and p-IRF3 were also diminished （P<0.05， P<0.01）. However， no statistically significant differences were observed in the expression of IRF3 or NF-κB p65 across the groups. ConclusionCLMT has the potential to suppress the activation of BV-2 microglial cells， consequently mitigating the inflammatory response induced by LPS and further preventing inflammation-mediated damage to Neuro-2A cells. The underlying mechanism is likely associated with the modulation of the STING/NF-κB signaling pathway， which results in reduced inflammation and confers neuroprotective effects.
