Assessment of the effect of selected African plants on an in vitro model of Parkinson's disease
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable, progressive disease characterised by loss of dopaminergic \nneurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. The main cause of dopaminergic neuron loss is attributed to \noxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Although treatments are available, focus is placed on \nsymptomatic relief, and thus over time disease progression still occurs. Herbal remedies offer a wide \nrange of chemical entities that may prove beneficial in treating neurodegeneration. The aim of this \nstudy was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of selected African medicinal plants using 6- \nhydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cytotoxicity in the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line as \nmodel of PD. \nEight plants, used ethnomedicinally for the treatment of neurological disorders, were extracted using \nmethanol and acetone ultrasonic maceration. Neurotoxicity was induced by exposing cells to 33.3 μM 6- \nOHDA for 2 h, followed by 24 h incubation with the crude extracts. Neuroprotection was initially \nassessed using the sulforhodamine B staining assay. Plants that displayed neuroprotective activity \n(Acokanthera oppositifolia, Boophane disticha and Xysmalobium undulatum) were further assessed (0.5- \n15 μg/mL) using mechanistic assays. Reduced glutathione (GSH) content, mitochondrial membrane \npotential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, intracellular calcium (Ca2+) flux and adenosine triphosphate \n(ATP) levels were assessed using the…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a thesis, done in cell cultures (in vitro), not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- A Coupled SYSTEM of Intracellular Ca 2+ Clocks and Surface Membrane Voltage Clocks Controls the Timekeeping Mechanism of the Heart’s Pacemaker
- A Comprehensive Review on the Therapeutic Potential of Curcuma longa Linn. in Relation to its Major Active Constituent Curcumin
- Cancer epigenetics: Moving forward
- Current developments in LC-MS for pharmaceutical analysis
- Myricetin: A comprehensive review on its biological potentials
- A Computational Systems Biology Software Platform for Multiscale Modeling and Simulation: Integrating Whole-Body Physiology, Disease Biology, and Molecular Reaction Networks
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.