Sedative effects of Arachis hypogaea L. stem and leaf extracts on sleep-deprived rats

Effects of aqueous extracts and volatile oils prepared from Huaxiang Anshen decoction on p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Insomnia occurs frequently in modern society, and its common symptoms include difficulty in falling asleep and decreased sleep quality and time, memory, and attention. With the advantages of having few side-effects and reduced drug-dependence, a compound traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription called Huaxiang Anshen Decoction (HAD) has been widely used in clinical practice in China mainly for primary insomnia treatment. Although the effects of volatile oils from TCM herbs have been increasingly reported, volatile oils in HAD are conventionally neglected because of its preparation process and clinical usage. Therefore, exploring the anti-insomnia effects of volatile oils from HAD is of great importance.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The sedative and hypnotic effects of the conventional aqueous extracts, the volatile oils from HAD, and their combinations were investigated.

METHODS

The main components in HAD volatile oils (HAD-Oils), were analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The HAD volatile oil inclusion complex (HAD-OIC) was prepared with β-cyclodextrin, and characterized. P-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) was used to induce insomnia mice model and the test groups of HAD aqueous extract (HAD-AE), HAD-OIC and their combination (AE-OIC). An open field test was used in evaluating the mice's activities, and the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in mice sera, glutamate (Glu) in the hypothalamus, and γ-aminobutyric acid (γ-GABA) and dopamine (DA) in the brain tissues were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

A total 74 components in HAD-Oil were determined by GC/MS, and cyperenone (20.46%) and α-cyperone (10.39%) had the highest relative content. The characterization results of the physical phase showed that volatile oils were successfully encapsulated by β-cyclodextrin and HAD-OIC was produced. The average encapsulation rates of cyperenone and α-cyperone were 79.93% and 71.96%, respectively. The results of pharmacology study showed that all the test groups increased the body weight and decreased voluntary activity when compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The HAD-AE, HAD-OIC, and AE-OIC groups increased the levels of 5-HT in the sera and DA and Glu/γ-GABA in the brains, and AE-OIC groups showed better performance than the other test groups.

CONCLUSIONS

HAD-Oil exerts sedative and hypnotic effects, which are increased when it is used with HAD-AEs. This result provides a favorable experimental evidence that volatile oils should be retained for the further development of HAD.

Medicinal Plants for Anti-neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Neurodegenerative diseases are neuronal diseases that affect the brain components by degenerating the structure and function of the central or peripheral nervous system progressively. It is a leading cause of death and affects huge amount of people worldwide. Plant-based medicines have been utilised in the therapies for many illnesses that have defied western treatments, including neurodegenerative diseases.

AIM OF THIS REVIEW

This review presents an overview of the major neurodegenerative diseases and reported prominent medicinal plants used in managing those diseases in West Africa.

METHODS

Scientific articles regarding medicinal plants and their usefulness in managing neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa were pooled from different scientific databases. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to filter articles based on their relevance. Pharmacological activity, plant parts used, experimental models, and some isolated chemical compounds of those plants were summarised.

RESULTS

In the West Africa region, Fabaceae (19%) and Solanaceae (13%) have the highest representation of plant families used to treat neurological diseases, while Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae have also been utilised. Flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, coumarins present in those plants and their derivatives are reported to possess neuro-protective effects. Biochemical enzymes correlating to antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects are the potential targets against neurodegenerative diseases.

CONCLUSION

Medicinal plants for anti-neurodegenerative diseases in West Africa have been documented with their neuropharmacological activities. Plant families such as Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Euphorbiaceae could be a major natural source for discovery of anti-neurodegenerative drugs, thus the metabolites from them should be given priority for neurological research. This review will provide clues for further investigations on the screening and development of anti-neurodegenerative natural products from West African medicinal plants.

Flavonoid-Like Components of Peanut Stem and Leaf Extract Promote Sleep by Decreasing Neuronal Excitability

SCOPE

Peanut stem and leaf (PSL), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used as a dietary supplement to improve sleep quality; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, the study aims to determine whether active compounds in PSL extract exert their effects by mediating neuronal excitability.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Aqueous PSL extract (500 mg kg^-1 BW) increases the duration of total sleep (TS), slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) in BALB/c mice after 7 and 14 continuous days of intragastric administration. Two PSL extract components with flavonoid-like structures: 4',7-di-O-methylnaringenin (DMN, 61 µg kg^-1 BW) and 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin (MIL, 12 µg kg^-1 BW), show similar effects on sleep in BALB/c mice. Moreover, incubation with DMN (50 µM) and MIL (50 µM) acutely reduces voltage-gated sodium and potassium currents and suppresses the firing of evoked action potential in mouse cortical neurons, indicating the inhibition on neuronal excitability. Meanwhile, RNA-seq analysis predicts the potential regulation of voltage-gated channels, which is according with the molecular docking simulation that both MIL and DMN can bind to voltage gated sodium channels 1.2 (Na_v 1.2).

CONCLUSIONS

DMN and MIL are the active ingredients of PSL that improve sleep quality, suggesting that PSL promotes sleep by regulating the excitability of neurons.

Hydroalcoholic extract of leaf of Arachis hypogaea L. (Fabaceae) did not induce toxic effects in the repeated-dose toxicity study in rats

Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut) leaf is traditionally used for the treatment of insomnia in Asia. However, studies describing the safety and toxicity profile for this plant preparation are limited. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the toxicity of peanut leaf hydroalcoholic extract (PLHE) repeated treatment. The extract was administered orally (100, 300 or 1000 mg/kg) in male and female Wistar rats for 28 days (OECD guideline 407). PLHE treatment did not cause mortality or weight variation in the animals. Also, there was no alteration on locomotor activity (open field test), motor coordination (rotarod test), or anxiety behaviour (elevated plus-maze test). Male rats had a reduction in relative liver weight (100 mg/kg) and an increase in total kidney weight (1000 mg/kg), but there was no change in biochemical and haematological parameters after PLHE treatment. Free extracellular double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) levels was also evaluated, but PLHE treatment did not increase this parameter in rat organs. Also, the dose of 1000 mg/kg of PLHE significantly increased the total thiols in the liver of females compared with the control animals. Thus, PLHE did not induce toxicity after repeated exposure for 28 days in rats.

Peanut leaf extract has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity but no acute toxic effects

Arachis hypogaea L. (peanut) leaves have been popularly used for the treatment of insomnia and inflammation, but no toxicological study has been performed for this plant preparation. This study aimed to examine the phytochemical composition of peanut leaf hydroalcoholic extract (PLHE) and describe its potential toxic effects and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The qualitative chemical analysis of PLHE by UHPLC-ESI-HRMS allowed the identification of eight metabolites types (totaling 29 compounds). The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay revealed that PLHE had strong antioxidant effects; it also exhibited nitric oxide (NO)-scavenging capacity. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to PLHE showed no reduced cell viability or increased free double-stranded DNA, NO, or reactive species production. PLHE reversed the cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory (release of interleukin-1β), and pro-oxidant effects of H₂O₂ on human PBMCs. Acute PLHE toxicity analysis was performed in vivo using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 423 guidelines. PLHE single injection (2000 mg/kg, intragastric) did not cause mortality or morbidity or induce changes in hematological or biochemical parameters after 14 days of administration. Thus, PLHE could be a source of bioactive compounds and possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties without elicitin cytotoxicity or genotoxicity in human PBMCs or acute toxicity in rats.

Sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic effects and the mechanism of action of aqueous extracts of peanut stems and leaves in mice

INTRODUCTION

Peanut stems and leaves (PSL) have traditionally been used as both a special food and a herbal medicine in Asia. The sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic effects of PSL have been recorded in classical traditional Chinese literature, and more recently by many other researchers. In a previous study, four sleep-related ingredients (linalool, 5-hydroxy-4',7-dimethoxyflavanone, 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin and ferulic acid), among which 5-hydroxy-4',7-dimethoxyflavanone and 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin were newly found in Arachis species, were screened by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC/QTOF-MS). In the current study, quantitative examination of the above four ingredients was conducted. Serious fundamental functional studies were done in mice, including locomotor activity, direct sleep tests, pentobarbital-induced sleeping time tests, subthreshold dose of pentobarbital tests and barbital sodium sleep incubation period tests, to determine the material base for the sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic effects of aqueous extracts of PSL. Furthermore, neurotransmitter levels in three brain regions (cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem) were determined using UHPLC coupled with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC/QQQ-MS) in order to elucidate the exact mechanism of action.

RESULTS

Aqueous extract of PSL at a dose of 500 mg kg^-1 (based on previous experience), along with different concentrations of the above four functional ingredients (189.86 µg kg^-1 linalool, 114.75 mg kg^-1 5-hydroxy-4',7-dimethoxyflavanone, 32.4mg kg^-1 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin and 44.44 mg kg^-1 ferulic acid), had a sedative-hypnotic effect by affecting neurotransmitter levels in mice.

CONCLUSION

The data demonstrate that these four ingredients are the key functional factors for the sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic effects of PSL aqueous extracts and that these effects occur via changes in neurotransmitter levels and pathways. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Efficacy of a Combination of Melissa officinalis L. and Nepeta Menthoides Boiss. & Buhse on Insomnia: A Triple-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder that has not been well managed thus far. There are numerous medicaments for treatment of insomnia, but they have undesirable side effects that make herbal medicine a more viable option.

OBJECTIVES

The effectiveness of a combination of Melissa officinalis L. (dry powder) and Nepeta menthoides Boiss. & Buhse (freeze-dried aqueous extract) on insomnia was evaluated.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Insomniacs who met the entry criteria participated in a triple-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial at the Persian Medicine (PM) clinic in Tehran.

INTERVENTIONS

The subjects received either 1000 mg of M. officinalis plus 400 mg N. menthoides or a placebo nightly for four weeks in accordance with prescriptions from the pharmaceutical manuscripts on PM and the results of previous studies.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleep diary, and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used for assessment of insomnia.

RESULTS

Comparison of the treatment and placebo groups showed a significant decrease in the mean difference of ISI (4.97 ± 4.69 vs. 1.60 ± 3.70; p =; 0.002) and total PSQI (4.14 ± 3.69 vs. 1.42 ± 2.81; p = 0.001) scores in the treatment group. A significant increase was also observed in total sleep time of treatment group (p < 0.001) based on the sleep diary.

CONCLUSIONS

A combination of M. officinalis and N. menthoides Boiss. & Buhse could be an alternative sleep improvement therapy.

Identification of chemical ingredients of peanut stems and leaves extracts using UPLC-QTOF-MS coupled with novel informatics UNIFI platform

Peanut stems and leaves have been used traditionally as both herbal medicines and special food in Asia. In this study, the main functional compounds of peanut stems and leaves extracts were identified using UPLC separation coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS), and a traditional medicine library. Three different extraction solvents (ethyl acetate, petroleum ether and n-butanol) were evaluated to prepare the extracts of peanut stems and leaves. A total of 283 chemical compounds were identified in peanut stems and leaves extracts, of which 207 compounds are tentatively new identifications in Genus Arachis. The integration of data acquisition and processing with the traditional medicine library provides a simple, efficient process to effectively facilitate the identification of chemical ingredients in complex natural product extracts. The integrated workflow for separation, detection and identification of functional compounds in natural products using UPLC/QTOF-MS greatly improves productivity for development of traditional herbal medicines. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modification of sleep-waking and electroencephalogram induced by vetiver essential oil inhalation

Background:

Essential oils (EOs) have been claimed to modulate mental functions though the most of data were obtained from subjective methods of assessment. Direct effects of EO on brain function remained largely to be confirmed with scientific proof. This study aimed to demonstrate quantifiable and reproducible effects of commercial vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) EO inhalation on sleep-waking and electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns in adult male Wistar rats. The experiments were conducted during November 2013 - February 2014.

Materials and Methods:

The following electrode implantation on the skull, control, and treated animals were subjected for EEG recording while inhaling water and vetiver EO (20 and 200 µl), respectively. Fast Fourier transform was used for analysis of EEG power spectrum.

Results:

One-way ANOVA analysis confirmed that vetiver EO inhalation significantly increased total waking and reduced slow-wave sleep time. Moreover, EO inhalation decreased alpha and beta1 activity in both frontal and parietal cortices and increased gamma activity in the frontal cortex. Changes in these frequencies began almost from the start of the inhalation.

Conclusion:

These data suggest refreshing properties of vetiver EO on electrical brain activity and alertness.

Arachis hypogaea L. stem and leaf extract improves the sleep behavior of pentobarbital-treated rats

This study was conducted to evaluate the sedative effects of Arachis hypogaea L. stem and leaf extract (AHSLE) and determine its effect pathways through γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated channels on male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with pentobarbital. AHSLE was obtained from 98°C water (3 h, extracted twice). AHSLE and flumazenil (a GABA type A receptor antagonist) were administered to the rats orally, whereas pentobarbital sodium and muscimol (a GABA type A receptor agonist) were administered intraperitoneally (i.p.). The results demonstrated that AHSLE decreased sleep latency and increased sleep time in pentobarbital-treated rats (50 mg/kg, i.p.). The coadministration of AHSLE and muscimol (0.05 mg/kg) significantly increased sleep time and reduced sleep latency in pentobarbital-treated rats and these actions were significantly antagonized by flumazenil at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg. These results indicated that AHSLE improved the sleep behavior in pentobarbital-treated rats, possibly through GABA-gated channel-related mechanisms.