The Protective Roles of Tiangui Gengnian Soft Capsule on Brain in Ayed Female Rats and Its Mechanism

Objective To investigate the brain-protective and anti-aging effects and the mechanism of action of Tiangui Gengnian Soft Capsule(TGSC),a Chinese herbal preparation composed of seabuckthorn fatty acids.Methods Sixteen-month-old female rats were administered via gastric perfusion with low,medium and high doses(0.72 g/kg,1.80 g/kg and 4.5 g/kg)of TGSC for 180 days.The 3-month and 22-month old rats were taken as controls.Expression of estrogen receptor β(ERβ),tyrosine hydroxylase(TH),granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in the brain of rats were observed and analyzed using immunohistochemical technique,and changes in the number of neurons and glial cells were counted with Nissl's staining.Results Immunohistochemistry showed the number of ERβ-and TH-positive neurons in the hypothalamus was significantly higher(P0.01 and P0.05),G-CSF-positive astrocyte stain was much weaker(P0.01)and the expression of VEGF-positive cerebral vessel was stronger(P0.05)in the TGSC treated groups than those in the control.Nissl's staining showed no significant difference in the number of neurons and glial cells among groups.Conclusion TGSC could up-regulate the expressions of ERβ,TH and VEGF in the brain of aged female rats,modulate the responsibility of astrocyte and its G-CSF expression,suggesting that TGSC may have certain neuro-protective and anti-aging effects.