Effects of Tiantai Ⅰ on the activity of central cholinergic system in mice with spontaneous Alzheimer disease / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Tiantai I consists of gastrodia, Chinese angelica root, areca seed. It has been considered as the roles of invigorating the liver, nourishing marrow, heightening the intelligence and causing resuscitation. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Tiantai Ⅰ on the abilities of learn ing and memory and the activity of central cholinergic system in mice withspontaneous Alzheimer disease. DESIGN: A randomized control observation. SETTING: Shenzhen Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. MATERIALS: Male Kunming mice of 13 months old were raised to 21 months old, of which 52 with spontaneous Alzheimer disease werescreened. They were randomly divided into blank control group, westerndrug control group, Tiantai Ⅰ 6.80 and 20.41 g/kg groups, 13 mice in eachgroup. Another 13 aged mice with normal learning and memory abilitieswere selected as the normal control group at the same time. METHODS: Mice in the western drug control group were treated with0.6 mg/Kg Hydergine, those in the Tiantai Ⅰ 6.80 and 20.41 g/kg groupswere given intragastric administration of Tiantai Ⅰ of 6.80 and 20.41 g/kg, respectively, and those in the normal control group and blank control groupwere given double distilled water of the same volume. The learning andmemory results were examined by the step-down test. Freezing sections ofbrain tissue were prepared, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) fiber was showedaccording to the Hedreen method, and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was detected with Burt and Silver methods, the automatic image analysissystem for biomedical application was applied in the quantitative analysisof AChE fiber and ChAT activity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Effect of Tiantai Ⅰ on the abilities of learning and memory in mice with Alzheimer disease; ② AChE fiberarea density in temporal cortex and hippocampal CA1 region; ③ ChAT ac tivity in Meynert nuclei of basal forebrain. RESULTS: ① Tiantai Ⅰ in ameliorating the abilities of learning and mem ory in mice with spontaneous Alzheimer disease: The error times in theTiantai Ⅰ 6.80 and 20.41 g/kg groups, normal control group and westerndrug control group were obviously fewer than that in the blank controlgroup (5.08±2.18, 3.77±1.48, 3.25±1.27, 6.17±3.12, 9.31±3.65, P ＜ 0.05). ② AChE fiber area density: The AChE fiber area densities in temporalcortex were obviously higher in the Tiantai Ⅰ 6.80 and 20.41 g/kg groups, normal control group and western drug control group than in the blankcontrol group (20.19±4.18, 25.01±6.44, 26.38±6.52, 19.44±4.33, 14.36±3.21, P ＜ 0.05). The AChE fiber area densities in hippocampal CA1 region were obviously higher in the Tiantai Ⅰ 20.41 g/kg groups and nor mal control group than in the blank control group, western drug controlgroup and Tiantai Ⅰ 6.80 g/kg group (13.88±3.07, 14.11±4.36, 6.57±2.30, 10.13±2.94, 9.63±2.40, P ＜ 0.05). ③ ChAT activity: It was obviously high er in the TiantaiI 20.41 and 6.80 g/kg groups, western drug control groupand normal control group than in the blank control group (0.683±0.179, 0.589±0.179, 0.552±0.173, 0.705±0.141, 0.354±0.131, P ＜ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Tiantai Ⅰ can significantly improve the disturbances oflearning and memory in mice with spontaneous Alzheimer disease, and itcan increase the activity of central cholinergic system in a dose-dependentmanner.