ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: ShenmaYizhi decoction (SMYZD) is an effective prescription of traditional Chinese medicine used to treat vascular dementia (VD). Modern research methods have identified its active ingredients clearly as gastrodin, ferulic acid, ginsenosides, and ß-sitosterol. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is a driving factor or risk factor for VD, which leads to the disturbance of mitochondrial structure and function. PURPOSE: To observe whether SMYZD improves cognitive impairment by improving mitochondrial structure and function. METHODS: Forty adult rats with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) caused by the bilateral ligation of common carotid arteries were divided into four groups randomly, including the model group, donepezil group, and low-dose and high-dose SMYZD groups, with 10 rats in each group. Additionally, a sham group was established with 10 rats as the control group. The treatment groups were administered donepezil and two different dosages of SMYZD. The donepezil group was administered 0.45 mg/kg/d donepezil, and the SMYZ-L group was administered 2.97 g/kg/d SMYZ, which were equivalent to the clinical dosage. The SMYZ-H group was administered 11.88 g/kg/d SMYZ, which is 4 times higher than the clinically equivalent dosage. A sham-operated group was used as the control group and administered an equal volume of distilled water. The rats were treated by gavage for 8 consecutive weeks. Morris water maze (MWM) test was performed to evaluate the learning and memory ability. The mitochondria of brain tissue were extracted from brain for further test. Mitochondrial morphology and the signal path of AMPK/PPARα/PGC-1α/UCP2 in mitochondria were detected. RESULTS: With the SMYZD intervention, behavioral performance of rats and pathological changes of mitochondria of brain tissue were signiï¬cantly improved. In the serum, SOD, GSH-Px, and GSH activities were increased, and the MDA content was decreased. Moreover, the AMPK, PPARα, PGC-1α, UCP2, and ATP5A mRNA and protein expression levels were also reversed by SMYZD. CONCLUSION: SMYZD may provide a potential therapeutic strategy via activating the AMPK/PPARα/PGC-1α/UCP2 signal pathway to improve mitochondrial structure and energy metabolism thereby alleviate vascular cognitive impairment.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to illustrate the mechanism by which Shenmayizhi decoction (SMYZD) improves the learning memory of rats with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Fifty male and female Wistar rats of specific pathogen-free grade (SPF grade) were used to establish the model by the administration of a microsphere embolization. This was accomplished by injecting sterile, standardized, mass-produced microspheres of uniform particle size (100-200 µm in diameter) in a sodium alginate microsphere vascular embolic agent suspension to induce VCI. The VCI model was successfully established in 40 rats, including both male and female rats, and the rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10 rats each. The model group was administered an equal volume of distilled water. The donepezil group was administered 0.45 mg/kg/d donepezil, which is equivalent to the clinical dosage. The SMYZ-H group was administered 11.88 g/kg/d SMYZ, which is 4 times higher than the clinically equivalent dosage. The SMYZ-L group was administered 2.97 g/kg/d SMYZ, which is the clinically equivalent dosage. A sham-operated group was used as the control group and administered an equal volume of distilled water. The rats in the 4 groups were treated by gavage with equal volumes of liquid and the indicated concentration of drug diluted in distilled water for 8 consecutive weeks. Two months later, the Morris water maze (MWM) was used to evaluate the spatial memory of all the rats. Ultrastructural and ultrapathological changes in the capillaries of the cerebral cortex were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, Western blot and RT-PCR analyses were used to assess the levels of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-ß (PDGFR-ß), neuron-glial antigen 2 (NG2), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and angiopoietin 1 (Ang1) in the cerebral cortex of the rats. The results showed that SMYZD at concentrations of 11.88 g/kg/d and 2.97 g/kg/d (SMYZ-H and SMYZ-L) significantly shortened the escape latency (EL). In addition, SMYZ-H significantly prolonged the distance traveled and the time spent in the original platform quadrant by the rats with VCI. SMYZ-H significantly increased the NG2 and Ang1 protein expression levels and increased the PDGFR-ß and Ang1 mRNA levels. These results demonstrated that Shenmayizhi decoction can improve the memory abilities of rats with VCI induced by multiple cerebral infarctions by preventing pericyte degeneration.
ABSTRACT
In the clinical practice, Professor Jiang Liangduo, a national senior Chinese medicine doctor, has created the theory of "sanjiao meridian stasis" from the theory of meridian dialectics and from the overall state. In this paper, the traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine clinical characteristics of sanjiao meridian stasis theory which is often used by Professor Jiang Liangduo in the treatment of out-patient syndrome differentiation, were first studied and summarized to investigate its inherent regularity. First, the source of data and research methods were introduced, and then the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System was used with the method of data mining to retrospectively analyze the disease characteristics of Chinese and Western medicine in 279 patients with sanjiao meridian stasis diagnosed by Professor Jiang in 2014. Then the following main conclusions were made after research: sanjiao meridian stasis was more common in women as well as young and middle-aged population. Often manifested by prolonged treatment course, red tongue with yellowishfur, with good correlation between modern Western medicine diagnosis and TCM differentiation syndrome. The symptoms of sanjiao meridian stasis syndrome are mostly of heat syndromes, and middle-aged patients are the most common patients with stasis and stasis of sanjiao. Related information of Western medicine diagnosis can help to diagnose the "sanjiao meridian stasis".
Subject(s)
Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Meridians , Data Mining , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of modified Huanglian Wendan Decoction (HWD) in treating senile mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of turbid-phlegm blocking orifice syndrome. METHODS: With a block randomized, double-blinded and controlled design adopted, the 64 patients of MCI selected from December 2007 to February 2009 were randomly and equally assigned to two groups. The treatment group was treated with HWD in dose of 200 mL, twice a day; the control group was given Aniracetam 0.2 g (for patients over 70-years-old, 0.1 g) three times a day. And the illusive medicine in dosage-form of capsule/decoction simulated to that used in the opposite group was applied. The medication and observation lasted for three months. Chinese medicine syndrome, cognition capacity (by MMSE), laboratory indexes [acetylcholine (Ach), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA)] and safety related indexes in patients were observed. RESULTS: After treatment, MMSE score increased in both groups, but the increment in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01); Chinese medicine syndrome estimated by scoring showed that after treatment, all scores of syndromes, excepting the expectoration, were improved in the treatment group with the post-treatment scores significantly lower than those in the control group respectively (P<0.05 or P<0.01); while in the control group, lowering of scores only showed in some symptoms such as poor memory, heavy head or dizziness, and heavy sensation in limbs and body. Serum levels of Ach and SOD decreased and MDA increased in both groups after treatment, but the change of Ach was more significant in the treatment group (P<0.01). No obvious adverse reactions were found during the treatment. CONCLUSION: For treatment of MCI, HWD shows effects in improving patients' symptoms, cognition capacity and elevating serum Ach content better than that of Aniracetam; and with effects for raising SOD activity and reducing MDA level similar to those of Aniracetam.
