Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neurotoxicity and Neuroinflammation in Primary Mesencephalic Cultures

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation triggers and accelerates the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Carthamus tinctorius L., a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease. Hydroxysafflor Yellow A (HSYA) is an active component of C. tinctorius. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether HSYA could attenuate LPS-induced neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation in primary mesencephalic cultures. Cell viability was measured by MTT and LDH assays. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neuron was observed by immunohistochemistry. NF-κB p65 and iNOS expressions were evaluated with western blotting method. Pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β and TNF-α were determined by ELISA kits. Nitric oxide (NO) content in the culture medium was assayed. The results showed that HSYA treatment significantly attenuated the LPS-induced dopaminergic neurons damage. HSYA partially inhibited the expressions of NF-κB p65 and iNOS. Furthermore, HSYA decreased the content of IL-1β, TNF-α and NO in the supernatants. Taken together, these results suggest that HSYA exerts protective effects on LPS-induced neurotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons and the mechanisms may be associated with the inhibition of inflammatory response.