Effect of Qingxinkaiqiao compound on cortical mRNA expression of the apoptosis-related genes Bcl-2, BAX, caspase-3, and Aβ in an Alzheimer's disease rat model

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Qingxinkaiqiao(QK) compound in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease induced with β-amyloid(Aβ) 1-40.METHODS: Fifty-six three months, male,Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven groups: blank control group, surgery group,model group, low-dose QK group, middle-dose QK group, high-dose QK group, and Aricept(donepezil hydrochloride) group, with eight rats in each group. Apart from the control and surgery groups,an Alzheimer’s disease model was established in all groups by bilateral hippocampal injection of Aβ1-40. The surgery group received an injection of the same volume of physiological saline. Two days after model establishment, rats from the drug groups were administered the corresponding drugs; the control group and model group were administered an equal volume of physiological saline for 14 days. After treatment, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry,and western blot assay were employed to confirm mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, and Aβ, respectively.RESULTS: Compared with the model group, Bcl-2expression increased and Bax, caspase-3, and Aβexpression decreased in each drug treatment group(P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The expressions of middle-dose QK group were more significant than the high- and low-dose QK groups(P < 0.01, P > 0.05).CONCLUSION: QK treatment resulted in significantly up-regulated Bcl-2 expression, down-regulated Bax, caspase-3, and Aβ expression, and reduced numbers of apoptotic cells in the cortex.