Protective Effects of Isoatriplicolide Tiglate from Paulownia coreana against Glutamate-induced Neurotoxicity in Primary Cultured Rat Cortical Cells

Abstract

To examine the neuroprotective effects of Paulownia coreana, we tested its protection against the glutamate-induced neurotoxicity to primary cultured cortical neurons. An aqueous extract of the plants exhibited significant protection against glutamate-induced toxicity in primary cultured rat cortical cells. In order to clarify the neuroprotective mechanism(s) of this observed effect, isolation was performed to seek and identify active fractions and components. By such fractionation, one bioactive sesquiterpene lactone, isoatriplicolide tiglate, was isolated, which exhibited significant neuroprotective activities against glutamate-induced toxicity, exhibiting cell viability of about 50%, at concentrations ranging from 0.1 μM to 10 μM.