Effects of Taro Extract on Brain Resilience in In Vitro Parkinson’s Disease Model Induced by 6-Hydroxydopamine

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of taro extract on brain resilience in in vitro Parkinson’s disease model induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). @*Methods@#To induce a neuroinflammatory reaction and the in vitro Parkinson’s disease model, SH-SY5Y cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 6-OHDA, respectively. After that, cells were treated with at various concentrations (1, 5, and 10 mg/mL) of taro extract. Then nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-6, synaptophysin (SYP) and growth associated protein (GAP)-43 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression level were measured. @*Results@#Taro extract significantly suppressed LPS-induced NO production. Meanwhile, iNOS and IL-6 mRNA expression decreased in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, taro increased the mRNA expression of SYP and GAP-43 mRNA. @*Conclusion@#These findings indicate that taro played an important role in brain resilience by inhibiting neuronal cell death and promoting neurite outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and neural plasticity. The results of this study suggest that taro may contribute to the prevention of neurodegenerative disease and become a new and safe therapeutic strategy for Parkinson’s disease.