Effects of Acupuncture at "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) and "Baihui" (GV20) on Behaviors and Monoamine Neurotransmitter in Prefrontal Cortex of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rats / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effects of acupuncture at "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) and "Baihui" (GV20) on behaviors and contents of monoamine neurotransmitter dopamine (DA), noradrenalin (NE) and 5-hydroxytrypamine (5-HT) in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rats; To discuss mechanism of action of acupuncture for prevention and treatment of ADHD. Methods 4-week-old SHR rats were randomly divided into the model group, Western medicine group and acupuncture group, and WKY rats with the same age were selected as the normal control group, with 10 rats in each group. Acupuncture was applied to "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) and "Baihui" (GV20) of rats in acupuncture group for 15 min. The rats in Western medicine group was given MPH (ritalin) for gavage, and rats were treated for 4 weeks in the dark-phase. Open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM) and novel object recognition test (NORT) were conducted to evaluate the spontaneous activity, impulsivity and learning-memorial ability of rats individually at the end of treatment. Contents of DA, NE and 5-HT in PFC were detected by HPLC. Results Compared with the normal control group, all of the behavior parameters of rats in model group were significantly higher (P＜0.05), and the contents of DA, NE and 5-HT in PFC of model group were lower than those of normal control group (P＜0.05). Compared with the model group, acupuncture group showed shorter movement distance, less rearing and fewer grooming activities in the OFT; percentages of times of entering the open arms and staying duration were reduced in the total period in the EPM; preference index in the NORT was elevated (P＜0.05); the contents of NE and 5-HT in PFC of acupuncture group increased significantly (P＜0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture at "Sanyinjiao" (SP6) and "Baihui" (GV20) canreduce the spontaneous activity and impulsivity, and improve learning and memory ability of ADHD model rats, which may be related to elevated contents of NE and 5-HT in the PFC.

Effect of Fuzhenghunao Capsule on NE of the Locus Ceruleus and Myocardial Tissues in Rats with Intracerebral Hemorrhage / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To observe the effect of Fuzhenghunao capsule on NE of the locus ceruleus and myocardial tissues in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods 72 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:sham,model,Fuzhenghunao and Angongniuhuang. The content of NE were tested by the high performance liquid phase-electrochemical method at 6 h,24 h and 72 h of post-operation. Result NE was obviously increased in sham group,and decreased in two treatment groups. Conclusion Fuzhenghunao capsule could be used to inhibit the activation of locus ceruleus noradrenalin system and protect myocardial tissues by regulating NE content.

The antiproliferation effect of naftopidil in vascular smooth muscle cells of rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the effect of naftopidil(Naf) on noradrenalin(NA)-induced proliferation of rats vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs),and explore its mechanisms. Methods The cultured VSMCs was induced to proliferate by NA,and effects of Naf on the VSMCs proliferation was tested by MTT assay and cell counting method respectively. The intra-cellular calcium concentration is investigated by fluorimetry,and the expressions of c-myc,c-fos and hypertension related gene-1(HRG-1) mRNA were tested by Real-Time RT-PCR. Results The proliferation of VSMCs induced by NA was inhibited by Naf(10-7~10-6mol?L-1),which diminished clearly VSMCs [Ca2+]i and decreased mRNA expressions of c-myc,c-fos and increased the expression of HRG-1 mRNA. Conclusions Proliferation of VSMCs induced by NA can be inhibited clearly by Naf. The mechanisms may be related to diminishing [Ca2+]i,antagonizing the up-regulation of c-myc and c-fos mRNA expressions by NA and antagonizing the down-regulation of HRG-1 mRNA expression.

Association between the Genetic Polymorphisms of the Biogenic Amine Transporters and the Antidepressant Responsiveness in Korean Depressed Patients / 대한정신약물학회지

OBJECTIVE: Serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is a key synaptic regulator of serotonergic neurotransmission and a major site of action of most antidepressants. The functional polymorphism of 5-HTT gene is reported to be associated with antidepressant responsiveness. Norepinephrine transporter (NET) and dopamine transporter (DAT) are also the targets for antidepressant drugs, and these biogenic amine transporters share a similar structure and mode of action as 5-HTT. We investigated the association between genetic polymorphisms of biogenic amine transporters and antidepressant response. METHODS: We genotyped 203 patients with major depressive disorder and 147 normal controls, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of genomic DNA with primers flanking the second intron and promoter regions of 5-HTT gene, and the 3' untranslated region of DAT. NET-1 (Thr99Ile) and NET-8 (1287 G/A) polymorphism were characterized by amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) analysis. RESULTS: VNTR polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of DAT (p=0.020) was associated with a diagnosis of depression, but was influenced by age effect. We found that NET-8 polymorphism (p=0.015) in NET gene had significant associations with antidepressant response, as did the allelic variations of the promoter (p<0.0001) and intron2 (p=0.023) region in 5-HTT gene. The choice of drug had no effect on drug responsiveness. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that allelic variations of 5-HTT and NET genes affect the antidepressant responsiveness.

Effects of Concomitant Treatment with Drugs Affecting Monoaminergic Systems on the Clozapine-induced Myoclonic Jerks in Partially Restrained Rats

This study was performed to investigate the mechanism of the clozapine-induced seizures in partially restrained rats by concomitant treatment with drugs affecting monoaminergic systems. Partially restrained rats treated with acute single doses of 10mg/kg clozapine exhibited myoclonic jerks(MJs). Drugs affecting the monoaminergic systems, including 2mg/kg haloperidol, 5mg/kg propranolol, 2mg/kg ritanserin, 20mg/kg fluoxetine, and 20mg/kg imipramine, were concomitantly treated with clozapine to observe the effects of these drugs on the MJs. The drugs were given intraperitoneally either as acute single doses(haloperidol, propranolol, ritanserin, and fluoxetine) or as chronic doses for 21 days(haloperidol, imipramine, ritanserin, and fluoxetine). The effects of the concomitant treatment of other drugs on the clozapine-induced MJs were evaluated by comparison of the total numbers of the MJs between the clozapine-treated and concomitantly treated groups. The results were as follows. 1) Concomitant treatment with acute single doses of haloperidol, propranolol, and fluoxetine reduced the total numbers of the clozapine-induced MJs, while concomitant treatment with ritanserin did not. 2) Concomitant treatment with chronic doses of imipramine and ritanserin increased the total numbers of the MJs, while concomitant treatment with fluoxetine reduced them. Concomitant chronic treatment with haloperidol did not affect the numbers of the MJs. These results suggest that dopamine and serotonin, not noradrenalin may be involved in the clozapine-induced MJs in partially restrained rats. Future research needs to study the function of each subtype of monoaminergic receptors on the mechanism of the clozapine-induced seizure.