Comparison among the effects of tiaogan recipe, jianpi recipe,bushen recipe and ginsenoside on the contents of amino acids in hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats under repeatedly psychic stress

Zheng ZHANG; Can YAN; Yan LI; Zhiwei XU; Yafei SHI; Lili WU; Jian WANG; Yi PAN

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

When one is in a stress state, some amino acids as neurotransmitter in his brain are of important regulating action to his cerebral functions and his psychic behaviors,and some traditional Chinese drugs can regulate the stress state of the body.

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the content changes of glutamic acid,aspartic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid and taurine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats under repeatedly psychic stress so as to investigate the effects of tiaogan recipe, jianpi recipe, bushen recipe and ginsenoside on them.

DESIGN:

A randomized grouping and controlled observation trial.

SETTING:

Department of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) of Basic Medical Science College, Guangzhou University of TCM.MATERIALSThe experiment was completed from March 2002 to January 2003 at the Animal Center of Guangzhou University of TCM.Totally60 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups normal, model, tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups, with 10 in each group. Compositions and doses of tiaogan recipe radix bupleuri 5 g, fruetus gardeniae 5 g,radix paeoniae alba 15 g,fructus lycii 15 g,fructus aurantii 6 g,radix rehmanniae 18 g, concha haliotidis 30 g. Compositions and doses of shenqi pill radix rehmanniae 30 g, rhizoma dioscoreae 15 g, fructus corni 15 g,rhizoma alismatis 10 g,poria 10 g,cortex moutan radicis 10 g,ramulus cinnamomi 4 g, radix aconiti praeparata 4 g. Compositions and doses of sijunzi decoctionradix codonopsis pilosulae 20 g,rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae 15 g, poria 15 g, radix glycyrrhizae preparata 6 g.

METHODS:

① The traditional Chinese medicines were conventionally decocted; and the tiaogan recipe condensed to the liquid containing1.69 g/mL crude drug, shenqi pill containing 1.76 g/mL crude drug,sijunzi decoction containing 1.01 g/mL crude drug.Ginsenoside was prepared as 7 g/L water solution.The rats in the normal and model groups were by gavage given 2 mL of 9.0 g/L sodium chloride injection.The rats in the tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups were respectively by gavage given 2 mL of tiaogan recipe, shenqi pill, sijunzi decoction and ginsenoside solution 1 hour before immobilization stress. ② Except for rats in the normal group, those in the rest groups were all conducted for establishment of psychic stress reaction model.The rats were put into an immobilization tube,their action space was gradually reduced by using a mobile insertion piece,they were regulated to a nervous state without prpduction of intense revolting, which was done once a day, starting with 4 hours immobilization on the first day, and later on increased by 30-60 minutes per day, for consecutive 14 days. ③ The whole brain of the rats in each group was collected by decapitation,OPA high-performance liquid chromatography was used for assays of the contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, γaminobutyric acid and taurine in hypothalamus and hippocampus of the rats.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

The content changes of glutamic acid,aspartic acid,γ-aminobutyric acid and tanrine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group.

RESULTS:

Totally 60 rats involved all entered into the result analysis. ①The content changes of glutamic acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each groupCompared with normal group,the contents of glutamic acid in hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan, jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased [(21.85±8.19), (15.76±1.80),(14.68±7.91), (21.46±5.45), (13.43±7.68) μmoL/g]; compared with model group,the contents in the tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously raised [(11.04±3.65), (11.78±2.17), (18.67±2.98), (20.91 ±3.96),(17.71±1.83) μ moL/g, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.05]. ② The content changes of aspartic acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each groupCompared with model group,the contents of aspartic acid in the hypothalamus in the jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously decreased [(8.65±1.18), (5.72±1.32), (4.67±1.88) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.01,P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hippocampus of rats in the jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly raised[(2.58 ±0.87),(3.93±0.49), (4.52±0.98), (3.83±0.41) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.05].③ The content changes of γ-aminobutyric acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each groupCompared with model group,the contents of γ-aminobutyric acid in the hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan,jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased[(20.92±4.96), (15.87±2.90), (13.84±2.63), (14.94±3.98), (10.94±3.68) μ moL/g,P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hypothalamus were obviously raised [(4.12±1.66), (4.18±1.04), (6.67±1.29),(6.11±0.99), (6.37±0.78) μmoL/g, P＜ 0.05, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01].④ The content changes of taurine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group Compared with model group, the contents of taurine in the hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan, jianpi, bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased [(10.24±1.72), (7.82±1.14), (8.00±2.05),(6.42±3.17) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hippocampus in the jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously raised [(12.61±3.51), (17.03±2.74), (18.04±2.14) μnoL/g, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01].

CONCLUSION:

The central acting site of tiaogan recipe may mainly be in the hypothalamus,possibly being related with down-regulating amino acids.While the central acting sites ofjianpi recipe,bushen recipe and ginsenoside may include the hippocampus and hypothalamus, being mainly related with up-regulating amino acids,through enhancing the integration of the hippocampus on stress so as to gain the effect of anti-injury of stress.