Effects of Chinese herbs on glucocorticoid receptor in rat brain regions with chronic immobilization stress / 中国应用生理学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the changes of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) 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 (180 min daily, repeated 7 days or 21 days), and characterized the changes of GR in hippocampus CA1, cortex, dentate gyrus via immunohistochemistry integrated image analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The contents of glucocorticoid receptors in hippocampus CA1 , cortex, dentate gyrus were increased and the intensity of immunity reaction was significantly stronger in the model group of 7 days than that in the normal control group (P < 0.05). The contents of GR were significantly decreased and the intensity of immunity reaction was weaken in the model group of 21 days (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with the model group of 21 days, the contents of GR were significantly increased and immunity reaction was intensified in three groups of treatment with Chinese herbs (P < 0.05), in which the group treated with soothing-liver herbs Xiaoyaopowder was the best.</p>