Hericium erinaceus Promotes Anti-Inflammatory Effects and Regulation of Metabolites in an Animal Model of Cerebellar Ataxia

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 7; p. 6089
• Main Authors: Chau, Sze Chun, Chong, Pit Shan, Jin, Hongkai, Tsui, Ka Chun, Khairuddin, Sharafuddin, Tse, Anna Chung Kwan, Lew, Sze Yuen, Tipoe, George Lim, Lee, Chi Wai, Fung, Man-Lung, Wong, Kah Hui, Lim, Lee Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23-03-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Amino acids; Animal models; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Ataxia; Balance; brain inflammation; Cerebellar ataxia; Cerebellar Ataxia - drug therapy; Cerebellar Ataxia - genetics; Cerebellar Ataxia - metabolism; Cerebellum; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Gene expression; Glucose; Hericium; Hericium erinaceus; incoordination; Inflammation; Metabolic pathways; Metabolites; Mitochondria; Mushrooms; Neurodegeneration; Neuroprotection; neuroprotective agents; Neurotransmission; Protein expression; Proteins; Rats; Serotonin; Smad3 protein; Transforming growth factor-b1; incoordination; brain inflammation; cerebellar ataxia; neurotransmission; neuroprotective agents; Hericium erinaceus
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076089

Cerebellar ataxia is a neurodegenerative disorder with no definitive treatment. Although previous study demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of
(
), the mechanisms of
. treatment on the neuroinflammatory response, neurotransmission, and related metabolites remain largely unknown. We demonstrated that 3-AP rats treated with 25 mg/kg
extracts had improved motor coordination and balance in the accelerated rotarod and rod tests. We showed that the
. treatment upregulated the expression of
and
genes to levels comparable to those in the non-3-AP control group. Interestingly, we also observed a significant correlation between
gene expression and rod test performance in the 3-AP saline group, but not in the non-3-AP control or
.+3-AP groups, indicating a relationship between
gene expression and motor balance in the 3-AP rat model. Additionally, we also found that the
. treatment increased mitochondrial COX-IV protein expression and normalized dopamine-serotonin neurotransmission and metabolite levels in the cerebellum of the
.+3-AP group compared to the 3-AP saline group. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the
. treatment improved motor function in the 3-AP rat model, which was potentially mediated through neuroprotective mechanisms involving TGFB2-Smad3 signaling via normalization of neurotransmission and metabolic pathways.