The progressive neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is characterized by muscle weakness and atrophy owing to selective motoneuron degeneration. The anti-glutamatergic drug, riluzole (RZ), is the standard-of-care treatment for ALS. Bojungikgi-tang (BJIGT), a traditional herbal formula, improves motor function and prolongs the survival of mice with ALS. As ALS is a multicomplex disease, effective therapies must target multiple mechanisms. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a BJIGT/RZ combination (5-week treatment) in 2-month-old hSOD1G93A mice with ALS. We performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme activity assays. BJIGT/RZ significantly attenuated inflammation, autophagy, and metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunctions in the gastrocnemius (GC) compared with the control. It reduced the mRNA and protein levels of muscle denervation-related proteins and creatine kinase levels. The total creatine level was significantly higher in the BJIGT/RZ-treated GC. Moreover, after BJIGT/RZ treatment, the number of Nissl-stained motoneurons and choline acetyl transferase-positive neurons in the spinal cord significantly increased via the regulation of proinflammatory cytokines. Collectively, the BJIGT/RZ treatment was superior to single-drug treatments in alleviating multiple ALS-related pathological mechanisms in the ALS mouse model. Overall, BJIGT can serve as a dietary supplement and be combined with RZ to achieve superior therapeutic effects against ALS.
Keywords: Bojungikgi-tang; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); gastrocnemius; inflammation; metabolism; riluzole; spinal cord.