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Polygalae Radix used as Chinese materia medica has a long history. The main chemical constituents include triterpenoid saponins, xanthones, oligosaccharide esters, and so on. The study shows that Polygalae Radix has a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as sedative hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiaging, antidementia, brain protection, cough expectorant, antidepressant, antibacterial, and anticancer. In this paper, through referring to the domestic and foreign relevant literatures on Polygalae Radix systematically, we summarize the chemical composition, pharmacological activity, and structure activity relationship of Polygalae Radix, which could provide the reference for the further investigation and development of this plant.
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Objective: To study the hypnotic and anticonvulsant activities of the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides (LEU), the total alkaloids were extracted from LEU using water-acid method. Methods: Mice were divided into five groups, including groups contained total alkaloids in three different doses, negative and positive control groups. Direct hypnotic experiment in mice, pentobarbital sodium synergistic experiment, and anticonvulsant experiment were used. The numbers of spontaneous activities, sleep rate, sleep latency, sleep time, convulsion rate, and convulsion latency of the mice were recorded and analyzed. Results: The total alkaloids from LEU could increase the sleep rate, significantly lengthen the sleep time, and shorten the sleep latency of mice. Even the low dose of total alkaloids (0.33 g/kg) showed significantly different activities with negative control group (physiological saline) with the synergistic effect of the superthreshold dose of pentobarbital sodium. Furthermore, the total alkaloids efficiently inhibited the convulsion caused by nikethamide. Conclusion: The total alkaloids from LEU have the excellent sedative, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant activities in mice, with high safety and little drug side effects. Therefore, they have the protential development prospects in sedative-hypnotic drugs. © 2014 Tianjin Press of Chinese Herbal Medicines.
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Objective: To evaluate the activities of Fuling (the dried sclerotium of Poria cocos) and its components, then its nature and flavor were attributed by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Methods: Scopolamine was used to cause learning and memory impairment in mice, and Morris water maze test was used to observe the effects of Fuling and its components on learning and memory of mice, and shaking cage method and pentobarbital sodium were used to evaluate the sedative and hypnotic effects of Fuling and its components. Results: Water decoction of Fuling (crude drug 8.56 g/kg), ethyl acetate, petroleum ether, crude polysaccharides, and refined polysaccharides components could significantly shorten the latency of scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice to reach the platform; Acetylcholinesterase activity in mice brain was decreased, the effects of the components washed with alcohol and water on latency were less obvious and the individual components of the cerebral index showed an increase in different proportions; Crude drug (42.8 g/kg) water decoction of Fuling could significantly prolong the sleeping time, but had no effect on sleep latency; Crude polysaccharides could significantly shorten the sleep latency while the refined polysaccharides could significantly increase sleeping time; Followed by ethyl acetate components, the petroleum ether components showed a weak antagonistic effect. Conclusion: The learning and memory improvement as well as the sedative and hypnotic effects are associated with Fuling's sweet taste which can tonify spleen to calm nerves; The ethyl acetate, petroleum ether, and polysaccharides components are the basic materials of sweet taste.
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Objective To observe the influence of the coumarins from Radix Angelicae pubescentis (TCA) on the hypnotic effects of pentobarbital sodium and barbital sodium. Methods Mice were randomly divided into solvent (5% Tween-80, 20 mL/kg), chloromycetin (25 mg/kg) and TCA (50, 100 mg/kg) groups, which were administered orally with equivalent volume. One hour later, all the animals were given pentobarbital sodium (40 mg/kg, ip) or barbital sodium (200 mg/kg, ip), and then the latent period and duration of hypnosis were observed. Results Hypnotic duration of pentobarbital sodium was prolonged by 249.8%, 171.1% and 78.7% in chloromycetin and two TCA groups respectively (P
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Objective To study the sedative and hypnotic effects of oil of spine date seeds by different extraction technologies(compression and supercritical CO2 extraction,OSDSE and OSDSS) in mice.Equivalence test was used to test the effects.Methods Spontaneous activity and tolerance were observed by photoelectric counting method after long-term intragastric administration of OSDSE and OSDSS in mice.The sleeping time and delitescence induced by above threshold dose of pentobarbital sodium and sleeping number induced by below threshold dose of pentobarbital sodium were utilized to observe the hypnotic effect of OSDSE and OSDSS in mice.Diazepam was applied as a positive control drug.Results OSDSE and OSDSS could obviously reduce spontaneous activity,increase sleeping time and sleeping number in mice,while the sleeping delitescence was shortened.All the effects induced by OSDSE and OSDSS were equivalent.The inhibitory effect of spontaneous activity was enhanced following repeated administration,while the effect of diazepam was reduced.Conclusion Both oils of spine date seeds can induce sedative and hypnotic effects without tolerance.They have equivalent effects on sedation and hypnosis.