PMID- 28852418 OWN - NLM STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE LR - 20200929 IS - 1749-8546 (Print) IS - 1749-8546 (Electronic) IS - 1749-8546 (Linking) VI - 12 DP - 2017 TI - Danggui Buxue Tang, a simple Chinese formula containing Astragali Radix and Angelicae Sinensis Radix, stimulates the expressions of neurotrophic factors in cultured SH-SY5Y cells. PG - 24 LID - 10.1186/s13020-017-0144-y [doi] LID - 24 AB - BACKGROUND: Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a phytoestrogen-enriched Chinese herbal formula, serves as dietary supplement in stimulating the "Blood" functions of menopausal women. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, "Blood" has a strong relationship with brain activities. Previous studies supported that some ingredients of DBT possessed neuronal beneficial functions. Therefore, the neurotrophic function and the mechanistic action of DBT were systematically evaluated in cultured human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. METHODS: The DBT-triggered protein expressions were analyzed by western blotting, while the transcriptional activities of promoters coding for related genes were revealed by luciferase assays. For mechanistic analysis of DBT, Erk1/2 and its inhibitor U0126 were analyzed. RESULTS: The application of DBT in cultured neuroblastoma cells showed the efficacies in: (1) up-regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF); (2) activation of transcriptional activities of promoters coding for NGF, BDNF, GDNF; (3) activation of Erk1/2 and CREB; and (4) attenuation of the neurotrophic factor expression by the treatment of an Erk1/2 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports that MAPK/Erk pathway acts as fundamental role in monitoring DBT-induced expression of neurotrophic factors in cultured human neuroblastoma cell. These results shed light in developing the working mechanism of this ancient herbal decoction for its neuronal function. FAU - Gong, Amy G W AU - Gong AGW AD - HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518000 China. AD - Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China. ISNI: 0000 0004 1937 1450. GRID: grid.24515.37 FAU - Wang, Huai Y AU - Wang HY AD - HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518000 China. FAU - Dong, Tina T X AU - Dong TTX AD - HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518000 China. AD - Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China. ISNI: 0000 0004 1937 1450. GRID: grid.24515.37 FAU - Tsim, Karl W K AU - Tsim KWK AD - HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518000 China. AD - Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China. ISNI: 0000 0004 1937 1450. GRID: grid.24515.37 FAU - Zheng, Y Z AU - Zheng YZ AD - Department of Biology, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, 521041 Guangdong China. ISNI: 0000 0004 1790 3396. GRID: grid.411979.3 LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20170822 PL - England TA - Chin Med JT - Chinese medicine JID - 101265109 PMC - PMC5568261 OTO - NOTNLM OT - Danggui Buxue Tang OT - Neuronal functions OT - SH-SY5Y cells EDAT- 2017/08/31 06:00 MHDA- 2017/08/31 06:01 PMCR- 2017/08/22 CRDT- 2017/08/31 06:00 PHST- 2017/06/09 00:00 [received] PHST- 2017/08/12 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2017/08/31 06:00 [entrez] PHST- 2017/08/31 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2017/08/31 06:01 [medline] PHST- 2017/08/22 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - 144 [pii] AID - 10.1186/s13020-017-0144-y [doi] PST - epublish SO - Chin Med. 2017 Aug 22;12:24. doi: 10.1186/s13020-017-0144-y. eCollection 2017.