Study of neurodifferentiation potential of different extracts of Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri (BM) belongs to the family of Scrophulariaceae and is a creeping herb, growing in shady marshlands [1]-[3]. It is found in Asia, Australia and the United States [1], [2]. BM contains different substance classes like alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, sterols and saponins [1], [3]. Commonly it is used in Ayurveda as nootropic for the treatment of memory loss, anxiety, poor cognition and lack of concentration [1], [2]. According to literature, the active compounds in BM seem to be triterpenoid saponins, which are named bacosides and are present as a mixture [1], [4]. This contribution describes the extraction of plant material, the enrichment of bacosides via liquid-liquid-extraction (LLE) and solid-phase-extraction (SPE), and the assessment of the biologic activity of the obtained extracts. The extracts were tested regarding their differentiation inducing activity of neuronal adult stem cells by an in vitro dual luciferase assay. To transfect the cells, a specific promoter of the doublecortin (DCX) gene was used [5]. Expression of DCX indicates the neuronal differentiation and the current neurogenesis [5]. For this test, primary mouse embryonic forebrain cells were transfected using firefly luciferase driven by the DCX promoter and Renilla luciferase as a control [5]. After LLE and SPE an enrichment factor of five was determined using Bacoside A as reference substance. Some extracts containing flavonoids show slight differentiation inducing activity, while others are not active. For further biologic investigations the neuroprotective potential of these extracts will be tested.

Fig. 1 Top: Chromatograms of different extracts (1 mg/mL), Bottom: Concentration of Bacoside A in different extracts (mg Bacoside A/mg extract)

• References

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