Yizhijiannao Granule and a combination of its effective monomers, icariin and Panax notoginseng saponins, inhibit early PC12 cell apoptosis induced by beta-amyloid (25-35).

One of our previous studies showed that Yizhijiannao Granule, a compound Chinese medicine, effectively improved the clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we established a model of Alzheimer's disease using beta-amyloid (25-35) in PC12 cells, and treated the cells with Yizhijiannao Granule and its four monomers, i.e., icariin, catechin, Panax notoginseng saponins, and eleutheroside E. Flow cytometry showed that Yizhijiannao Granule-containing serum, icariin, Panax notoginseng saponins, and icariin + Panax notoginseng saponins were protective against beta-amyloid (25-35)-induced injury in PC12 cells. Icariin in combination with Panax notoginseng saponins significantly inhibited early apoptosis of PC12 cells with beta-amyloid (25-35)-induced injury compared to icariin or Panax notoginseng saponins alone. The effects of icariin + Panax notoginseng saponins were similar to the effects of Yizhijiannao Granule. The findings indicate that two of the effective monomers of Yizhijiannao Granule, icariin and Panax notoginseng saponins, can synergistically inhibit early apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by beta-amyloid (25-35).