What’s salidroside, and how can it protect the brain from neurogenerative diseases?

( Natural News ) The Arctic root is a plant in the Crassulaceae family that thrives in cold regions. In traditional medicine, it is known as Rhodiola rosea. Rhodiola is used in many natural treatments thanks to its abundance in natural compounds that exhibit medicinal properties. Researchers from China reported that rhodiola has neuroprotective activity after investigating one its most active ingredients, salidroside. Their study, which gives evidence to this, was published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine . One of the key factors in the development of neurodegenerative diseases is the increased production of pro-inflammatory enzymes and cytokines, which can be triggered by microglial activation. Only a few drugs target microglial activation. Recent studies show that the chemical compound salidroside (Sal) has anti-inflammatory effects, which may help regulate the production of pro-inflammatory substances. The current study aimed to explore the effect of Sal on microglia activation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 cells. The researchers found that Sal significantly inhibited the excessive production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. They also found that Sal treatment suppressed the mRNA and protein expressions of inflammatory enzymes, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The researchers believe that these mechanisms may be involved in the inhibition of the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that salidroside inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced microglial activation by inhibiting the NF- k B pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress. They believe that this activity makes salidroside a promising therapeutic agent for human neurodegenerative diseases . (Related: A member of the forget-me-not flower family found to prevent neurodegenerative disorders .) Discover how to prevent and reverse heart disease (and other cardio related events) with this free ebook : Written by popular Natural […]

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