Ilex latifolia Thunb. (Aquifoliaceae), a Chinese bitter tea called "kudingcha," has been widely consumed as a health beverage and found to possess antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ischemic activities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of an ethanol extract of I. latifolia against amyloid β protein (Aβ)-induced memory impairment in mice and neurotoxicity in cultured rat cortical neurons. Memory impairment in mice was induced by intracerebroventricular injection of 15 nmol Aβ (25-35) and measured by the passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test. Chronic administration of I. latifolia (25-100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly prevented Aβ (25-35)-induced memory loss. I. latifolia also prevented the decrease of glutathione concentrations, increased lipid peroxidation, expression of phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and changes in apoptosis-associated proteins in the memory-impaired mouse brain. Exposure of cultured cortical neurons to 10 μM Aβ (25-35) for 36 h induced neuronal apoptotic death. The neuronal cell death, elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, generation of reactive oxygen species, and expression of proapoptotic proteins caused by Aβ (25-35) in the cultured neurons were inhibited by treatment with I. latifolia (1-50 μg/mL). These results suggest that I. latifolia may have a possible therapeutic role in managing cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanism might involve the antiapoptotic effects mediated by antioxidant activity and inhibition of p-tau formation.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Ca2+ signaling; antioxidant; cognition; neuroprotection.