Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Ginkgo biloba extract (EGB) has the pharmacological activities of free radical and lipid peroxidation scavenging and release of excitatory neurotransmitter resisting.
OBJECTIVE: To explore whether EGB761 has protective effect on primary cells from embryonic rat mesencephalon and dopaminergic neurons from injuries induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinum (MPP+) and L-arginine (L-Arg).  
METHODS: Midbrain nerve cells from Sprague Dawley embryonic rats were isolated and cultured. The cells were divided into control group, MPP+ group, L-Arg group, MPP++L-Arg group, MPP++EGB761 group and MPP++EGB761+L-Arg group.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Comparison results of cell A values and numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells among the groups: these indexes in the MPP+ group and MPP++L-Arg group were significantly decreased compared with the control group, L-Arg group, MPP++EGB761 group and MPP++EGB761+L-Arg group (P < 0.05), those of the MPP++L-Arg group were lower compared with the MPP+group (P < 0.05), and those of the MPP++EGB761+L-Arg group were lower than the MPP++ EGB761 group (P < 0.05). Cell nitric oxide levels: the levels in the MPP+ group and MPP++L-Arg group were obviously higher compared with the control group, L-Arg group, MPP++EGB761 group and MPP++EGB761 L-Arg group (P < 0.05), the level of the MPP++L-Arg group was higher compared with the MPP+ group (P < 0.05), and that of the MPP++EGB761+L-Arg group was higher than the MPP++EGB761 group (P < 0.05). It is indicated that L-Arg can increase the MPP+-induced damage to nopaminergic neurons, and EGB761 has the protective effect on injured primary cells from embryonic rat mesencephalon which may derived from reduction of nitric oxide by inhibiting the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase.