Understanding adaptogens: new evidence on their possible effectiveness in stress-induced and ageing-associated disorders from a DNA microarray study of neuroglia cells

Gene expression profiling was conducted on the human neuroglial cell line, after treatment with either the adaptogen, ADAPT-232, or its constituents, which included extracts of Eleutherococcus senticosus root, Schisandra chinensis berry, and Rhodiola rosea root, or several individual constituents, including eleutheroside E, schizandrin B, salidroside, triandrin, and tyrosol. All tested adaptogens had similar effects on G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signal transduction through cAMP, phospholipase C, and phosphatidylinositol signaling pathways. Adaptogens may reduce cAMP levels in brain cells by downregulating the adenylate cyclase gene, ADC2Y, and upregulating the phosphodiestherase gene, PDE4D. This activity is essential for energy homeostasis and for switching between catabolic and anabolic states. All tested adaptogens upregulated the PLCB1 gene, which encodes phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases, key players in the regulation of NF-kB-mediated defense responses. Other common targets of adaptogens included genes encoding the ERα estrogen receptor (up to 22.6-fold downregulation), cholesterol ester transfer protein (up to 10.6-fold downregulation), heat shock protein, Hsp70 (up to 45.0-fold upregulation), serpin peptidase inhibitor, and 5-HT3 serotonin receptor (up to 6.6-fold downregulation). These findings were consistent with the observed beneficial effects of adaptogens in stress-induced behavioral, mental, and ageing-associated disorders, including neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis, and impaired apoptosis. Panossian A, Hamm R, Kadioglu O, Wikman G, and Efferth T. (2013). Synergy and antagonism of active constituents of ADAPT-232 on transcriptional level of metabolic regulation of isolated neuroglial cells. Front. Neurosci.7:16. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00016