Flow cytometric estimation of the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on the content of hydrogen peroxide in dissociated mammalian brain neurons

Abstract

The effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on the content of hydrogen peroxide was estimated in cerebellar neurons dissociated from rats, by means of a flow-cytometer and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) diacetate, a fluorescent dye for intracellular hydrogen peroxide. The GBE started to reduce the DCF fluorescence of the neuron at 0.1 microgram/ml to 0.3 microgram/ml. Further increases in the GBE concentration (up to 3 micrograms/ml) produced a dose-dependent decrease in the DCF fluorescence, suggesting that GBE reduces the content of hydrogen peroxide or suppresses the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation of cerebellar neurons. The present technique may be useful for preliminary evaluations of agents affecting the ROS formation in mammalian brain neurons.