Neuroprotection of Alpinia katsumadai Seed Extract against Neuronal Damage in the Ischemic Gerbil Hippocampus is Linked to Altered Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

The extract of Alpinia katsumadai, a member of the family Zingiberaceae, shows anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidant activity. We observed the neuroprotective effects of the extract from Alpinia katsumadai seed (EAKS) against ischemic damage in gerbils administered oral EAKS (25, and 50 mg/kg) once a day for 7 days before transient cerebral ischemia. In the 50 mg/kg EAKS-treated ischemia group, about 67% of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region (CA1) survived after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) based on cresyl violet staining. We observed that EAKS treatment significantly maintained brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) immunoreactivity in the ischemic CA1 region after I/R. In addition, protein levels of BDNF in the 50 mg/kg EAKS-treated ischemia group were much higher than those in the vehicle-treated ischemia group after I/R. These findings indicate that repeated supplementation of EAKS protects neurons from ischemic damage, such that BDNF is distinctively maintained in ischemic areas.