Title:Kidney Yang Deficiency Syndrome Exacerbates Aβ25-35-Induced Pathological
Changes, and Ginsenoside Re Ameliorates Synapse Lesions in Aβ25-35-
Injected Rats with Kidney Yang Deficiency Syndrome
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Author(s): Xia Jiang*, Lin Chen, Qing Fu, Dan Li Ma, Xue Ting Liu and Xiao Yi Wang
Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, P.R. China
Keywords:
Kidney, yang deficiency syndrome, senile dementia, ginsenoside re, synapse lesions, β2-adrenergic receptor.
Abstract:
Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) indicates that Alzheimer's disease (AD)
is considered the consequence produced by Kidney Yang Deficiency Syndrome (KDS-Yang), which
has similar clinical characteristics to glucocorticoid withdrawal syndrome. Ginsenoside Re (G-Re) has
been found to ameliorate the symptoms and pathological impairments of AD. However, it’s not clear
whether G-Re could protect memory and synapse lesions against kidney deficiency dementia.
Methods: Subcutaneous injection of hydrocortisone for 14 days was used to produce KDS-Yang. On
the 15th day, Aβ25-35 peptide was injected into the intracerebroventricular (icv) of KDS-Yang rats.
Spine density was analyzed by Golgi staining and the ultrastructural morphology of the synapse was
detected using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Western blot was used to examine the expression
of pS396, pS404, Tau-5, tGSK-3β, pS9GSK-3β, Syt, Syn I, GluA1, GluN2B, PSD93, PSD95,
β2-AR and pS346-b2-AR.
Results: Hyperphosphorylation of tau in Aβ25-35-injected rats with KDS-Yang was stronger than in
Aβ25-35-injected rats at the sites of Ser396 and Ser404. G-Re improved spatial memory damage detected
by Morris water-maze (MWM), enhanced spines density, the thickness of postsynaptic density
(PSD) and increased the expression of Syt, Syn I, GluA1, GluN2B, PSD93 and PSD95. Moreover, GRe
decreased the hyperphosphorylation of β2-AR at serine 346 in Aβ25-35-injected rats with KDS-Yang.
Conclusion: KDS-Yang might exacerbate AD pathological lesions. Importantly, G-Re is a potential
ingredient for protecting against memory and synapse deficits in kidney deficiency dementia.