Erinacine S from Hericium erinaceus Mycelium Promotes Neuronal Regeneration by Inducing Neurosteroids Accumulation

To study the underlying mechanism of erinacines derived from Hericium erinaceus in neuroprotective effect against neurodegenerative diseases, we used the next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatic analyses, erinacine S was found to cause the accumulation of neurosteroids in neurons. Additionally, we found that erinacine S enhances neurite outgrowth in a cell autonomous fashion of primary neurons. It also promotes post-injury axon regeneration of PNS neurons and enhances regeneration on inhibitory substrates of CNS neurons. This research uncovers a previously unknown effect of erinacine S on promoting neuronal regeneration via raising the level of neurosteroids. Comparative gene expression profiling analysis of RNA-seq data for four groups of samples from primary mouse cortical neurons (3 independent repeats), including 1) DMSO solvent control treatment for 16 hours, 2) 1 μg/mL erinacine S treatment for 16 hours, 3) DMSO solvent control treatment for 48 hours, and 4) 1 μg/mL erinacine S treatment for 48 hours