Antrodia cinnamomea promotes neuritogenesis in mouse primary dorsal root ganglia neurons

Axonal regeneration after peripheral nerve injury is crucial for functional recovery but the intrinsic axonal growth rate of peripheral neuron is extremely slow. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have been used over the century for their diverse therapeutic potentials such as medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea (Niu-chang-chih in Chinese) has shown promising neuroprotective effects against amyloid β-protein-induced neurotoxicity in PC-12 cells and memory impairment in animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it’s potential for repairing peripheral nerve after injury remains unclear. Current study aims to investigate promoting effects of A. cinnamomea extracts on axonal regeneration in mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. DRG neurons were treated with A. cinnamomea extracts (M8 or M13), incubated for 17 hours. Neurons were then fixed and immunostained with neuronal marker (anti-β-tubulin III) and visualized under fluorescent microscope. Neurons treated with the mushroom extract showed a significant increase (25-35%) in neurite outgrowth, as compared to control. Our results revealed that A. cinnamomea extract enhances the intrinsic growth capacity of peripheral neurons significantly. Further studies will be required to investigate the promoting effect of A. cinnamomea in animal model of peripheral nerve injury.