Oxymatrine Attenuates Aβ1-42-Induced Neurotoxicity in Primary Neuronal Cells and Memory Impairment in Rats.

Aβ1-42-induced oxidative stress causes the death of neuronal cells, which is involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Oxymatrine (OMT) inhibits oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the effect of OMT on Aβ1-42-induced neurotoxicity in vivo and in vitro. In the Morris water maze test, OMT significantly decreased the escape latency and increased the number of platform crossings. In vitro, OMT markedly increased cell viability and superoxide dismutase activity. Moreover, OMT decreased the lactate dehydrogenase leakage, malondialdehyde content, and reactive oxygen species in a dose-dependent manner. OMT upregulated the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and downregulated the level of caspase-3. Furthermore, OMT inhibited the activation of MAPK (ERK 1/2, JNK) and NF-κB. In summary, OMT may be a potential compound for the treatment of AD.