Abstract
Fructus Corni (Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc.) is commonly prescribed as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that possesses pharmacological actions against inflammation, diabetic nephropathy, tumors, oxidation and aging. However, its function and mode of action within the nervous system remain largely unclear. In this study, the effects of Fructus Corni extract (FCE) on neuronal differentiation were investigated. It was found that FCE significantly increased the percentage of PC12 cells bearing neurites (P<0.001). Following the generation of neurite outgrowth, FCE treatment decreased the mRNA expression of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1; P<0.05) and suppressed the expression of STIM1 protein (P<0.001). In addition, extracellular calcium (Ca2+) influx was inhibited resulting in a reduction in the intracellular Ca2+ level, suggesting that the inhibition of Ca2+ influx may be involved in the FCE-promoted neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. These results demonstrate that FCE induces neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells and that this is associated with the suppression of STIM1 expression and the inhibition of Ca2+ influx, which may partially explain the FCE-induced neuritogenesis.