The Combination of β-Asarone and Icariin Inhibits Amyloid-β and Reverses Cognitive Deficits by Promoting Mitophagy in Models of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

β-Asarone is the main constituent of Acorus tatarinowii Schott and exhibits important effects in diseases such as neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases. Icariin (ICA) is a major active ingredient of Epimedium that has attracted increasing attention because of its unique pharmacological effects in degenerative disease. In this paper, we primarily explored the effects of the combination of β-asarone and ICA in clearing noxious proteins and reversing cognitive deficits. The accumulation of damaged mitochondria and mitophagy are hallmarks of aging and age-related neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we provide evidence that autophagy/mitophagy is impaired in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice and in Aβ1-42-induced PC12 cell models. Enhanced mitophagic activity has been reported to promote Aβ and tau clearance in in vitro and in vivo models. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that treatment of AD should be preceded by intervention before the formation of pathological products. The efficacy of the combination therapy was better than that of the individual therapies applied separately. Then, we found that the combination therapy also inhibited cell and mitochondrial damage by inducing autophagy/mitophagy. These findings suggest that impaired removal of defective mitochondria is a pivotal event in AD pathogenesis, and that combination treatment with mitophagy inducers represents a potential strategy for therapeutic intervention.