Aucubin is an
iridoid glycoside with a wide range of
biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-algesic as well as anti-
tumor activities. Recently, it has been shown that
aucubin prevents neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region in rats with
diabetic encephalopathy. In addition, it has protective effects on H2O2-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells. We have shown here that
aucubin promotes neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth in neural stem cells cultured primarily from the rat embryonic hippocampus. We also investigated whether
aucubin facilitates axonal elongation in the injured peripheral nervous system.
Aucubin promoted lengthening and thickness of axons and re-myelination at 3 weeks after sciatic nerve injury. These results indicate that administration of
aucubin improved nerve regeneration in the rat model of sciatic nerve injury, suggesting that
aucubin may be a useful therapeutic compound for the human peripheral nervous system after various nerve
injuries.