Objective: To evaluate the effect of Mate leaves extracts on the survival and maturation of dopaminergic neurons in vitro.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons from the SNpc which are particularly susceptible to degenerate by causes still unknown. Some mechanisms such as neuronal activity, calcium homeostasis and oxidative stress are involved in neuronal death. Stimulants, like nicotine and caffeine have been pointed as neuroprotective agents for dopaminergic neurons and their consumption is inversely associated with the development of PD. Similar results have been shown with the intake of “yerba mate” in the Argentinean population (Gatto et al 2015). Yerba mate is a popular beverage in some South American countries and it has been reported to have stimulant effect over the central nervous system.

Methods: We used a validated in vitro model, involving the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons obtained from mouse embryos. On these cultures we tested different doses of an extract of yerba mate obtained from dried leaves. Cells were fixed and immunostained with an anti-TH antibody to determine the number and morphology of dopaminergic neurons. We have also analyzed and quantified by HPLC the main components of the yerba mate extract and tested them separately in the same model.

Results: We found that yerba mate extract induces a strong neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons as well as a dramatic increase in their dendritic development. We identified that two of the components highly present in yerba mate, theobromine and chlorogenic acid, showed neuroprotective effect but weaker than the whole extract. In parallel we have seen that the neuroprotective effect of caffeine (another important compound present in the extract) is modest, in comparison with the whole extract, but similar in percentage to that described before.

Conclusions: We have demonstrated a neuroprotective effect of Yerba mate over dopaminergic neurons in vitro, providing a biological support to the previous population-based study. Our data suggest that this effect is not due solely to caffeine contents, therefore, we propose yerba mate as a novel natural compound with putative strong neuroprotective activity, which provide new insights to understand the mechanism of neuronal survival.

References: Gatto EM, Melcon C, Parisi VL, Bartoloni L, Gonzalez CD. Inverse association between yerba mate consumption and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. A case-control study. J Neurol Sci. 2015 Sep 15;356(1-2):163-7.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/yerba-mate-ilex-paraguaiensis-protects-dopaminergic-neurons-degeneration-and-improve-their-maturation-in-culture/