Effects of yichan tang on rotatory behavior, substance nigra cells and neurotransmitter of rats with Parkinson disease / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease (PD) not only influences motor function, also affects sensation and cognition. Treatment with dopamine can only control symptom and has well side effect; however, yichan tang has great effect on treating PD in clinic.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of yichan tang on praxiological behavior, catecholamines substance in cerebral tissue and substantia nigra nerve cells of PD rats and analyze its effective mechanism.DESIGN: Randomized control animal study and single-blind evaluation.SETTING: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of General Hospital of Chinese PLA.MATERIALS A total of 120 female SD rats weighing 180-200 g were selected in this study. Seventy modeling PD rats were randomly divided into saline group (n=30) and yichan tang group (n=40) according to digital table. Another 30 non-modeling rats were regarded as normal control group. Yichan tang was made of 15 g shanyurou, 15 g shichangpu, 10 g xianlingpi, 10 g roucongrong, 15 g gouqizi, 15 g danshen and 8 g wugong,etc., and provided by Dispensary of Chinese herb of General Hospital of Chinese PLA. Drug was decocted for 30 minutes to filter the solution and then concentrated into decoction including 1.0 g/mL raw materials.METHODS: The experiment was carried out at the Animal Laboratory of General Hospital of Chinese PLA from September to December 2001. PD rat model were established with 6-hydroxy-dopa to observe behavior of rats.The administration of rats (body mass/kg) in yichan tang group was 10 times as the administration of the adults (60 kg) (5 g/kg). Rats were perfused once a day and weighted once a week. The dosage of administration was regulated as the body mass changing, and the administration lasted for 8 weeks. Rats in saline group and normal control group were perfused with the same volume of saline as the criteria of body mass. Rotatory behaviors of rats in normal group, saline group (model group before administration)and yichan tang group were observed before administration and at 5, 6, 7 and 8 weeks after administration. Changes of content of catecholamines in extracellular fluid of cerebral tissue were measured with micro-dialysis technique and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), meanwhile, changes of substantia nigra nerve cells on both sides of corpus striatum were observed under 20-time and 40-time optic microscopes.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Effect of yichan tang on medium of cranial nerve of PD rats; changes of substantia nigra nerve cells on both sides of corpus striatum with optic microscope and electron microscope; evaluation of yichan tang.RESULTS: Among 100 rats, 6 rats in yichan tang group died because of failure perfusion, 5 in saline group and 2 in normal control group. Therefore, 87 rats were involved in the final analysis. ① At 5, 6, 7 and 8 weeks after treatment, rotatory times within 40 minutes were all shorter in yichan tang group than those in saline group [(112.34±33.36), (91.16±73.06),(72.05±20.77), (61.63±17.93), (340.90±52.97) times, P ＜ 0.01]. ② Levels of 3,4-dihydroxybenzene acid, homovanilic acid, dopamine and 5-serotonin on the injured side were lower than those on the uninjured side (P ＜ 0.05-0.01). After treatment, levels of mediums mentioned above were higher in yichan tang group than those in saline group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01); however,there were no significant differences of mediums on the uninjured side in the three groups (P ＞ 0.05). ③ Pathological observation Amount of substantia nigra nerve cells on the injured side was more in yichan tang group than that in saline group; moreover, volume of neurons was full, structure was clear, and values of Golgi complex and mitochondria were close to the normals.CONCLUSION: Yichan tang can relieve injured degrees of substantia nigra nerve cells, facilitate the repair, increase the content of endogenetic catecholamines in cerebral tissue, and improve rotatory behavior of PD rats.