Korean Red Ginseng extract ameliorates demyelination by inhibiting infiltration and activation of immune cells in cuprizone-administrated mice.

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), the steamed root of Purpose: To determine whether KRG extract (KRGE) could inhibit demyelination in corpus callosum (CC) of cuprizone (CPZ)-induced murine model of MS. Methods: Male adult mice were fed with a standard chow diet or a chow diet supplemented with 0.2% (w/w) CPZ Results: Administration with KRGE-DW alleviated demyelination and oligodendrocyte degeneration associated with inhibition of infiltration and activation of resident microglia and monocyte-derived macrophages as well as downregulation of proinflammatory mediators in the CC of CPZ-fed mice. KRGE-DW also attenuated the level of infiltration of Th1 and Th17) cells, in line with inhibited mRNA expression of IFN-γ and IL-17, respectively, in the CC. These positive effects of KRGE-DW mitigated behavioral dysfunction based on elevated plus maze and the rotarod tests. Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that KRGE-DW may inhibit CPZ-induced demyelination due to its oligodendroglial protective and anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting infiltration/activation of immune cells. Thus, KRGE might have potential in therapeutic intervention for MS.