Effects of Chinese herbs on enkephalin mRNA and prodynorphin mRNA gene expression in rat hippocampus with chronic immobilization stress / 中国应用生理学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the changes of enkephalin mRNA and prodynorphin mRNA gene expression in rat brain regions with chronic immobilization stress and the influence of Chinese herbs.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We copied the rat model of chronic immobilization stress (3 h daily , repeated 7 d or 21 d), and primers of enkephalin or prodynorphin were respectively added for RT-PCR reaction (BETA-actin as inner contrast). Gel image analysis system was used to scan and analyze and odds of optical density of target gene and inner contrast strip were taken as quasi-quantified data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Prodynorphin mRNA expression in hippocampus markedly increased in 7 d group (P < 0.01), while enkephalin mRNA prodynorphin mRNA expression in hippocampus markedly increased in 21 d group (P < 0.01). All three recipes were able to decrease the gene expression of prodynorphin mRNA (P < 0.01), and xiaoyao powder as well as sijunzi soup were able to decrease the gene expression of enkephalin mRNA (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The effects of xiaoyao powder on the above two gene expression was better than jinkuishenqi pill.</p>