Astaxanthin ameliorates dopaminergic neuron damage in paraquat-induced SH-SY5Y cells and mouse models of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second largest neurodegenerative disorder caused by the decreased number of dopaminergic (DAc) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). There is evidence that oxidative stress can contribute degeneration of DAc neurons in SNpc which is mainly caused by apoptotic cell death. Thus, suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis of DAc neurons is an effective strategy to mitigate the progress of PD.

Ponicidin Induces Apoptosis of Murine Melanoma by Inhibiting the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Ponicidin (PON), a diterpenoid extracted from the Chinese herb Rubescens, has been reported to be a therapeutic cytotoxic drug for the treatment of various types of human cancers. According to the statistics, the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing year by year and the degree of malignancy is extremely high, so early treatment is very important. In the present study, we demonstrated the antitumor effect of PON on melanoma in vitro and in vivo.