Huang-Pu-Tong-Qiao Formula Ameliorates Tau Phosphorylation by Inhibiting the CaM-CaMKIV Pathway

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease. It is a chronic, lethal disease in which brain function is severely impaired and neuronal damage is irreversible. Huang-Pu-Tong-Qiao (HPTQ), a formula from traditional Chinese medicine, has been used in the clinical treatment of AD for many years, with remarkable effects. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms of HPTQ in AD have not yet been investigated. In the present study, we used AD models in vivo and in vitro, to investigate both the neuroprotective effect of HPTQ water extracts (HPTQ-W) and the potential mechanisms of this action. For the in vivo study, after HPTQ intervention, the Morris water maze test was used to examine learning and memory in rats. Transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence methods were then used to investigate neuronal damage. For the in vitro experiments, rat primary hippocampal neurons were cultured and cell viability was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Additionally, mRNA levels of CaM, CaMKK, CaMKIV, and tau were examined using qRT-PCR, and protein expression of CaM, CaMKK, p-CaMKIV, and p-tau were examined using western blot. In vivo, we revealed that HPTQ significantly improved learning and memory deficits and attenuated neuronal damage in the AD rat model. Furthermore, in vitro results showed that HPTQ significantly increased cell viability in the AD cell model. We also demonstrated that HPTQ significantly decreased the mRNA levels of CaM, CaMKK, CaMKIV, and tau and significantly decreased the protein expressions of CaM, CaMKK, p-CaMKIV, and p-tau. In conclusion, our results indicated that HPTQ improved cognition and ameliorated neuronal damage in AD models and implicated a reduction in tau phosphorylation caused by inhibition of the CaM-CaMKIV pathway as a possible mechanism.