Phenolic composition and neuroprotective effects of the ethyl-acetate fraction from Inonotus sanghuang against H2O2-induced apoptotic cell death of primary cortical neuronal cells

The study aimed to characterize phenolic compounds of the Inonotus sanghuang’s ethyl-acetate fraction (EAF) and assess the neuroprotective effect of EAF using the H2O2-treated primary cortical neuronal cells (PCNC) model. Using HPLC-ECD, 5 phenolics were identified and quantified from EAF. H2O2-treated PCNC experiments in vitro showed that pretreatment with EAF increased the GSH-PX and SOD activities and reduced the NO, MDA, and Aβ contents. Furthermore, EAF suppressed the production of IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-6, and TNF-α in H2O2-treated PCNC. Other mechanisms found that EAF reduced Bax, caspase 9, and caspase 3 expressions at the mRNA and protein levels while increasing Bcl-2 expression at the mRNA and protein levels. These results showed that EAF could serve as potential agents for anti-NDD.