Neural Regeneration Research (Jan 2015)

Ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica increases cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the adolescent rat dentate gyrus

  • Bai Hui Chen,
  • Joon Ha Park,
  • Jeong Hwi Cho,
  • In Hye Kim,
  • Bich Na Shin,
  • Ji Hyeon Ahn,
  • Seok Joon Hwang,
  • Bing Chun Yan,
  • Hyun Jin Tae,
  • Jae Chul Lee,
  • Eun Joo Bae,
  • Yun Lyul Lee,
  • Jong Dai Kim,
  • Moo-Ho Won,
  • Il Jun Kang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.152382
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 2
pp. 271 – 276

Abstract

Read online

Oenanthe javanica is an aquatic perennial herb that belongs to the Oenanthe genus in Apiaceae family, and it displays well-known medicinal properties such as protective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. However, few studies regarding effects of Oenanthe javanica on neurogenesis in the brain have been reported. In this study, we examined the effects of a normal diet and a diet containing ethanol extract of Oenanthe javanica on cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adolescent rats using Ki-67 (an endogenous marker for cell proliferation) and doublecortin (a marker for neuroblast). Our results showed that Oenanthe javanica extract significantly increased the number of Ki-67-immunoreactive cells and doublecortin-immunoreactive neuroblasts in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus in the adolescent rats. In addition, the immunoreactivity of brain-derived neurotrophic factor was significantly increased in the dentate gyrus of the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. However, we did not find that vascular endothelial growth factor expression was increased in the Oenanthe javanica extract-treated group compared with the control group. These results indicate that Oenanthe javanica extract improves cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor immunoreactivity in the rat dentate gyrus.

Keywords