Extracts of Cynomorium songaricum protect human neuroblastoma cells from beta-amyloid25-35 and superoxide anion induced injury.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine a number of herbs are used to alleviate age-related diseases including memory impairment and dementia, among them stems of Cynomorium songaricum, Cynomoriaceae. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of different extracts of aerial parts of C. songaricum on amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) and hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase induced cell death in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. Abeta (20 microM) as well as superoxide anions generated by the hypoxanthine/xanthine oxidase system both reduced cell viability to about 60%. The methanolic extract of C. songaricum attenuated Abeta induced cell death at concentrations of 100 and 10 microg/ml, an even stronger effect was observed for the ethyl acetate fraction obtained from the crude methanolic extract. On the other hand, the dichloromethane as well as water fractions showed no protective effects. In order to further analyze the protective mode of action, the ability of extracts to protect against superoxide anions induced cell death was also evaluated. In this system, cell viability could again be restored by methanol and ethyl acetate extracts, the latter showingsignificant protective effects even at concentrations as low as 0.1 microg/ml.