YOKUKANSAN, A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE MEDICINE, AMELIORATES MEMORY DISTURBANCE AND ABNORMAL SOCIAL INTERACTION WITH ANTI-AGGREGATION EFFECT OF CEREBRAL AMYLOID β PROTEINS IN AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN TRANSGENIC MICE

The deposition of amyloid beta protein (A beta) is a consistent pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. Therefore, inhibition of AB aggregation in the brain is an attractive therapeutic and preventive strategy in the development of disease-modifying drugs for AD. An in vitro study demonstrated that yokukansan (YKS), a traditional Japanese medicine, inhibited A beta aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. An in vivo study demonstrated that YKS and Uncaria hook (UH), a constituent of YKS, prevented the accumulation of cerebral A beta. YKS also improved the memory disturbance and abnormal social interaction such as increased aggressive behavior and decreased social behavior in amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice. These results suggest that YKS is likely to be a potent and novel therapeutic agent to prevent and/or treat AD, and that this may be attributed to UH. (c) 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.