Carum carvi Linn (Umbelliferae) Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammatory Responses via Regulation of NF-κB Signaling in BV-2 Microglia

Purpose: To investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory properties of Carum carvi Linn. (CCE, Umbelliferae) aqueous extract in stimulated BV-2 microglial cells and explore its underlying mechanisms.Methods: Cell viability assessment was performed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to activate BV-2 microglia. Nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured using Griess assay. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) levels were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: CCE alone did not exhibit any signs of cytotoxicity to BV-2 cells up to 200 μg/ml concentration. The LPS-activated excessive release of NO in BV-2 cells was significantly inhibited by CCE (p < 0.001 at 100 μg/mL). CCE also inhibited the production of inflammatory mediators such as iNOS, COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-α (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 at 25, 50 and 100 μg/mL, respectively). Further mechanistic study revealed that CCE acts by regulation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells.Conclusion: The results reveal that CCE exhibited its anti-neuroinflammatory effects via regulation of NF-κB signaling. This can be developed as a potential therapeutic target in ameliorating microgliamediated neuroinflammation.Keywords: Carum carvi, Anti-oxidant, Neuroinflammation, Microglia, Nitric oxide, Interleuki

Anti-Stress and Anti-Amnesic Effects of Coriandrum sativum Linn (Umbelliferae) Extract – an Experimental Study in Rats

Purpose: Coriandrum sativum Linn. (Umbelliferae, C. sativum) is cultivated throughout the world for its use as spice and as a folk medicine. This study deals with the anti-stress and anti-amnestic properties of C. sativum extract in rats.Methods: Urinary levels of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid were used to evaluate antistress activity in rats, while conditioned avoidance response test in normal and scopolamine-induced amnesic rats was used to evaluate anti-amnesic effects. C. sativum extract was also evaluated for its antioxidant activities by inhibition of lipid peroxidation in brain and liver homogenates of the rats.Results: Daily administration of C. sativum extract (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight) 1 h prior to induction of stress significantly decreased the stress-induced urinary levels of VMA from 382.79 ± 10.70 to 350.66 ± 15.15, 291.21 ± 16.53 and 248.86 ± 13.56 μg/kg/24 h and increased the ascorbic acid excretion levels from 66.73 ± 9.25 to 69.99 ± 7.37, 105.28 ± 13.74 and 135.32 ± 12.54 μg/kg/24 h at 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg, respectively, in a dose-dependent fashion without affecting the normal levels in control groups. The amnesic deficits (acquisition, retention and recovery) induced by scopolamine (1mg/kg, i.p.) in rats was reversed by C. sativum dose dependently. The extract also inhibited lipid peroxidation in both rat liver and brain to a greater extent than the standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid.Conclusion: C. sativum may be useful remedy in the management of stress and stress related disorders on account of its multiple actions such as anti-stress, anti-amnestic and antioxidant effects.Keywords: C. sativum, Stress, Lipid peroxidation, Vanillylmandelic acid, Memory

Anethum Graveolens Linn (Umbelliferae) Extract Attenuates Stress-induced Urinary Biochemical Changes and Improves Cognition in Scopolamineinduced Amnesic Rats

Purpose: Anethum graveolens Linn. (Umbelliferae, A. graveolens) is a widely used spice with a long history of traditional medicinal use for the treatment of various ailments. The present study examines theanti-stress and cognition-improving effects of A. graveolens extract in a rat model.Methods: Urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid were estimated as biomarkers for evaluating antistress activity in rats. Conditioned avoidance response using Cook’s pole climbingapparatus in normal and scopolamine-induced amnestic rats was used to assess cognitive-improving activities. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay was used to evaluate antioxidantactivity.Results: Daily administration of A. graveolens at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight 1 h prior to induction of stress inhibited stress-induced urinary biochemical changes in a dose-dependent manner without altering the levels in normal control groups. Changes in cognition (as determined by the acquisition), retention and recovery in rats were dose-dependent. The extract also produced significant lipid peroxidation inhibition in both rat liver and brain, compared to a reference standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid.Conclusion: The aqueous extract of A. graveolens exhibited significant anti-stress, antioxidant and memory enhancing activities. The study provides a scientific basis for the traditional use of the plant asa culinary spice in foods

Attenuation of Neuroinflammatory Responses in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced BV-2 Microglia by Suaeda asparagoides Miq. (Chenopodiaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of Suaeda asparagoides (Chenopodiaceae) extract on neuroinflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BV-2 microglial cells and its antioxidant effects.Methods: Biochemical studies carried out include 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay for cell viability and radical scavenging activities, respectively. To evaluate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of S. asparagoides (SAE) extract, LPS (1ìg/ml)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells were used and pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible NO (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosisfactor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-êB) were measured using Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: LPS-stimulation of BV-2 cells increased the levels of NO (25.2 ± 2.15, p < 0.001) and proinflammatory mediators such as iNOS, COX-2 and TNF- α. However, treatment with SAE extract (20, 40 and 80 µg/ml) to LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells significantly inhibited the excessive release of NO (p < 0.05 at 20 µg/ml and p < 0.001 at 40 and 80 µg/ml, respectively) and suppressed the increased levels of iNOS, COX-2 and TNF-α. SAE also concentration dependently inhibited the NF-êB activation in LPSstimulatedBV-2 microglia. Further, SAE significantly and concentration-dependently (p < 0.001 at 20 - 200 µg/ml, respectively) scavenged DPPH radicals with IC50 of 36.33 ± 2.12 µg/ml.Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that SAE exhibits protective activity against LPS-stimulated neuroinflammatory responses. Mechanistic study reveals that SAE might by regulating NF-êB signaling. The antioxidant activity exhibited by SAE extract might also play a role in the plant’s significant antineuroinflammatory effect.Keywords: Suaeda asparagoides, Chenopodiaceae, Microglia, Lipopolysaccharide, Neuroinflammation, Cytokines, Antioxidan

Foeniculum vulgare Mill (Umbelliferae) Attenuates Stress and Improves Memory in Wister Rats

Purpose: To evaluate the anti-stress and memory-enhancing properties of F. vulgare extract in experimental rats.Methods: F. vulgare plant extract was obtained using Soxhlet extraction technique. The extract, at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, was administered orally with an orogastric tube. Urinary levels of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and ascorbic acid in rats were used to evaluate anti-stress activity. Conditioned avoidance response was measured in normal and scopolamine-induced amnesic rats to study the memory-enhancing effects. Lipid peroxidation inhibition assay in liver and brain homogenates of rats was used to evaluate antioxidant activity.Results: Daily administration of F. vulgare extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) 1 h prior to induction of stress significantly (p < 0.05) altered the stress-induced urinary biochemical levels of VMA from 395.79 ± 11.23 to 347.12 ± 12.28, 311.21 ± 12.48 and 258.86 ± 10.26 μg/kg, respectively, in 24 h, as well as ascorbic acid excretion levels from 65.74 ± 9.42 to 78.59 ± 8.44, 108.41 ± 15.62 and 125.82 ± 16.94 μg/kg also within the same period, respectively. These changes occurred in a dose-dependent fashion, and the levels in the control groups were unchanged within the same period. The memory deficits induced by scopolamine (1mg/kg, i.p.) in rats was reversed by F. vulgare dose-dependently. The extract also exhibited potent antioxidant effect by inhibition of lipid peroxidation in both rat liver and brain homogenates to a greater extent than the standard antioxidant, ascorbic acid.Conclusion: F. vulgare may be useful in the management of stress and stress-related disorders on account of its multiple actions such as anti-stress, memory-enhancing and antioxidant effects.Keywords: Foeniculum vulgare, Stress, Vanillyl mandelate, Memory, Antioxidant, Ascorbic aci

Car that Knows Before You Do: Anticipating Maneuvers via Learning Temporal Driving Models

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have made driving safer over the last decade. They prepare vehicles for unsafe road conditions and alert drivers if they perform a dangerous maneuver. However, many accidents are unavoidable because by the time drivers are alerted, it is already too late. Anticipating maneuvers beforehand can alert drivers before they perform the maneuver and also give ADAS more time to avoid or prepare for the danger. In this work we anticipate driving maneuvers a few seconds before they occur. For this purpose we equip a car with cameras and a computing device to capture the driving context from both inside and outside of the car. We propose an Autoregressive Input-Output HMM to model the contextual information alongwith the maneuvers. We evaluate our approach on a diverse data set with 1180 miles of natural freeway and city driving and show that we can anticipate maneuvers 3.5 seconds before they occur with over 80\% F1-score in real-time.Comment: ICCV 2015, http://brain4cars.co

Protective Effect of Purple Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas Linn, Convolvulaceae) on Neuroinflammatory Responses in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Microglial Cells

Purpose: To evaluate the protective effects of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Linn, Convolvulaceae) extract (IBE) in stimulated BV-2 microglial cells and its anti-oxidant properties.Methods: Cell viability assessment was performed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to activate BV-2 microglia. Nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured using Griess assay. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expressional levels were measured by Western blot analysis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antioxidantproperties were evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay.Results: LPS-activated excessive release of NO in BV-2 cells was significantly inhibited by IBE (p<0.001 at 100 µg/mL). Increased production of inflammatory mediators such as iNOS, COX-2 and TNF-α (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 at 100 and 200 µg/ml, respectively) was attenuated by IBE concentration-dependently. IBE also scavenged DPPH radicals in a  dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 at 10 ìg/ml and p < 0.001 at 20 - 200 µg/ml).Conclusion: These results indicate that IBE attenuated neuroinflammatory responses in LPS-activated BV-2 microglia by inhibiting excessive  production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, COX-2 and TNF-α. The anti-neuroinflammatory potential of IBE may be related to its strong antioxidant properties.Keywords: Ipomoea batatas, DPPH radicals, Anti-oxidant,  Neuroinflammation, BV-2 microglia, Nitric oxide