Schisandrin B (SchB) is one of the primary active components of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., a traditional Chinese herb that has been used to treat insomnia for hundreds of years. Our previous studies revealed that SchB exerts sedative and hypnotic effects, increasing the content of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the expression of its receptors in the brain tissues of rats. 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is another important neurotransmitter involved in sleep regulation, although, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of its association with SchB. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether the hypnotic effect of SchB was partly due to alterations in the expression of 5-HT. The results indicated that SchB reduced sleep latency and increased sleep duration in parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced rats with insomnia by increasing 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and upregulating the expression of the 5-HT receptor 1A in the hypothalamus. SchB also increased the ratio of GABA to glutamic acid and the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase, decreased the activity of GABA transaminase, and upregulated the expression of GABA A receptor α1 and GABA A receptor γ2 in the rat hypothalamus. These results suggested that SchB improved PCPA-induced insomnia in rats, and its effects may be associated with the regulation of GABA and 5-HT levels in the hypothalamus.
Schisandra, Ginseng, Notoginseng, and Lycium barbarum are traditional Chinese medicinal plants sharing cognitive-enhancing properties. To design a functional food to improve memory, we prepared a compound Schisandra-Ginseng-Notoginseng-Lycium (CSGNL) extract and investigated its effect on scopolamine-induced learning and memory loss in mice. To optimize the dose ratios of the four herbal extracts in CSGNL, orthogonal experiments were performed. Mice were administered CSGNL by gavage once a day for 30 days and then mouse learning and memory were evaluated by Morris water maze and step-through tests. The mechanisms of CSGNL improving learning and memory were investigated by assaying acetylcholine (ACh) levels and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in the brain tissues of treated mice. The results showed that CSGNL significantly ameliorated scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment, at least in part, by modulating ACh levels and ChAT and AChE activities in the mouse brain. Our data support the use of CSGNL as a functional food for learning and memory enhancement.
Schisandra has been used to treat insomnia for hundreds of years in China. This study was aimed at proving the contribution of Schisantherin A (STA), the most abundant component in Schisandra, on sleeping, and uncover its mechanisms. Mouse autonomic activity and sleep tests were conducted for the behavioral examinations. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamic acid (Glu), and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the blood and/or brain tissues of mice and rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, and GABA A Rα1 and GABA A Rγ2 expressions in the brain tissues of rats were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. STA decreased the autonomic activities and sleep latency, increased the number of sleeping periods, sleep time, and duration in mice, showing a sedative and hypnotic effect. STA significantly elevated GABA, reduced Glu in the blood and brain, and increased GAD in the brain. STA upregulated the expressions of GABA A Rα1 and GABA A Rγ2 mRNA in the brain of rats. Thus, STA is an active component for sedative and hypnotic effects in Schisandra and these effects may be through its regulation of the GABA/Glu ratio, GAD, and GABA A expression in mice and rats.
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