Melandrii Herba Extract Attenuates H(2)O(2)-Induced Neurotoxicity in Human Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells and Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the etiology of a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we found that Melandrii Herba extract (ME) attenuated oxidative-induced damage in cells. Mechanistically, ME exhibited protection from H(2)O(2)-induced neurotoxicity via caspase-3 inactivation, Bcl-2 downregulation, Bax upregulation, and MAPK activation (ERK 1/2, JNK 1/2, and p38 MAPK) in vitro. Moreover, our in vivo data showed that ME was able to attenuate scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment. These results provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that ME exhibits neuroprotective properties against oxidative stress, which suggests that ME is worthy of further investigation as a complementary, or even as an alternative, product for preventing and treating neurodegenerative disorders.