Pinching spine: A potential treatment for depression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether pinching spine (PS, i.e. , a traditional Chinese manipulative therapy) is beneficial to ameliorating the depressive state (including behavioral deficit, retardative weight gain and decreased sucrose consumption) in a rat model of depression induced by chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) and to explore the candidate mechanism of action. METHODS: PS was performed on rats' spine once daily for 1 week after exposure to CUS. The open-field test, body weight measuring, and sucrose intake test were applied on different dates: before stress (d0), at the end of stress (d21) and after PS treatment (d28), respectively. Then the rats' hippocampuses were performed genome-wide microarray analysis, and the expression levels of several genes were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Exposure to CUS resulted in decreases of behavioral activity and sucrose consumption, which were reversed significantly after PS treatment. The expression of several genes relevant to energy metabolism, anti-oxidation, and olfactory receptor, etc., were down-regulated, while the expression of those relevant to hemostasis, immunity-inflammation, and restriction of activities and ingestion, etc., were up-regulated in hippocampuses of rats exposed to CUS. PS treatment significantly inverted these changes. Furthermore, increase or decrease in gene expression evaluated by realtime PCR was concordant with up-regulated or down-regulated expression evaluated by microarray analysis. CONCLUSION: PS showed a potential antidepressant-like effect, of which the action mechanism might be due to gene expression regulation in hippocampus.

[Analyze on the component of rosmarinic acid in Prunella vulgaris and its effect on alpha-glycosidase activity].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze rosmarinic acid in Prunella vulgaris and its effect on the activity of alpha-glycosidase. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative analyses of Rosmarinic acid in Prunella vulgaris were carried out by HPLC. The activity of different micro reaction systems like alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and alpha-maltase, which were added to Rosmarinic acid and Acarbose, was determined by Bernfeld, pNPG and GOD. RESULTS: The contents of Rosmarinic acid in the aqueous extract and its dry powder, and extractum of Prunella vulgaris were 0.1494, 0.1657 and 0.2739 mg/g respectively, equal to crude drug. The Rosmarinic acid inhibited alpha-glycosidase, and its inhibition from alpha-maltase in small intestine was noncompetitive. CONCLUSION: The aqueous extract of Prunella vulgaris and its extractum's inhibition from alpha-glycosidase is related to Rosmarinic acid.

[Effect of xin an granule on electrophysiological response of ventricular muscle cell in rabbits with ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the electrophysiological effect of Xin' an granule (XAG) on ventricular muscle cell in ischemic rabbits. METHODS: A total of 48 rabbits were divided into the normal group and the ischemic group, and then subdivided into three groups, the control group, the high and low-dose XAG groups, 8 in each group. Rabbits in the low-dose XAG group and the high-dose XAG group were gastrogavaged XAG at the daily dose of 0. 85 g/kg and 3.40 g/kg, while the others in the control group were given the equal dosage of normal saline. All the rabbits were treated three times per day for successive 10 days. The rabbit model of ischemia was established by intravenous injected with 2. 5 U/kg posterior pituitary injection. Five minutes later, the monophasic action potential (MAP) and electrocardiogram (ECG) of each rabbit in the different groups were recorded and compared. RESULTS: (1) To normal rabbits, XAG could significantly shorten the action 50% and 90% potential duration (APD)50 and APD90 of ventricular muscle cell (P < 0.05 ), and high-dose of XAG could significantly increased the Vmax of MAP(P <0. 05). (2) While to ischemic rabbits, XAG could significantly prolong APD50 and APD90, and significantly increased the action potential amplitude (APA) and Vmax of MAP (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: (1) XAG can significantly shorten APD50 and APD90 of ventricular muscle cell, and high-dose XAG significantly increase the Vmax of MAP of normal rabbits. (2) XAG can delay and alleviate the manifestation characteristics of action potential of ventricular muscle cell during ischemia.