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Wu Y, Yao C, Zhang L, Wu G. Sophora flavescens alcohol extract ameliorates insomnia and promotes PI3K/AKT/BDNF signaling transduction in insomnia model rats. Neuroreport 2024; 35:275-282. [PMID: 38407863 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Active ingredient of Sophora flavescens is reported to promote non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. However, the role of Sophora flavescens alcohol extract in insomnia is elusive, which is addressed in this study, together with the exploration on its potential mechanism. An insomnia model of rats was established by para-chlorophenylalanine induction and further treated with SFAE or Zaoren Anshen capsule (ZRAS; positive control drug). Sleep quality and sleep architecture of rats were evaluated by the sleep test, electroencephalogram and electromyogram. The levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in rat hypothalamus were determined using ELISA, and the transduction of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in the brain tissues of rats was examined by Western blot. SFAE and ZRAS increased the sleeping time and decreased the sleep latency of insomnia rats. SFAE reduced waking time and increased NREM and REM time, while changing power density of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep in insomnia rats. SFAE and ZRAS upregulated levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, and downregulated those of norepinephrine and dopamine in insomnia rats. Besides, SFAE and ZRAS elevated BDNF expression as well as the ratios of phosphorylated (p)-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT. The role of SFAE in insomnia model rats was similar with that of ZRAS. SFAE reduces insomnia and enhances the PI3K/AKT/BDNF signaling transduction in insomnia model rats, which can function as a drug candidate for insomnia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Wu
- Department of Medicine, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province
| | - Chenhang Yao
- School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College
| | - Lan Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province
| | - Guoqing Wu
- Department of Medicine, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province
- Zhejiang Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Chinese Medicine Research and Development, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
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Li X, He C, Shen M, Wang M, Zhou J, Chen D, Zhang T, Pu Y. Effects of aqueous extracts and volatile oils prepared from Huaxiang Anshen decoction on p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia mice. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 319:117331. [PMID: 37858748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.117331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinye Li
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Chao He
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Min Shen
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Mingyun Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jingwen Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Dongying Chen
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yiqiong Pu
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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Yang Y, Chen Z, Yan G, Kong L, Yang L, Sun H, Han Y, Zhang J, Wang X. Mass spectrum oriented metabolomics for evaluating the efficacy and discovering the metabolic mechanism of Naoling Pian for insomnia. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 236:115756. [PMID: 37776625 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Insomnia is an accompanying symptom of many diseases and is closely associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Naoling Pian (NLP) is a patented Chinese medicine mainly used to treat insomnia. To evaluate the sedative and hypnotic effects of NLP and its modulatory effects on biological metabolites and metabolic pathways, rats with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia were given different doses of NLP by oral gavage for seven days. Diazepam (DZP) served as a positive control. Behavior was measured using the open field test, and neurotransmitter levels in the brain tissue related to sleep were measured using ELISA. The metabolic profiles and biomarkers of PCPA-induced insomnia in rats before and after NLP administration were analyzed using UPLC-Q/TOF-MS combined with multivariate data analysis. The results showed that the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, and dopamine in the brain tissue were significantly recovered in the NLP treatment groups, demonstrating similar or even superior therapeutic effects compared to the DZP group. The behavior of the PCPA-model rats partially recovered to normal levels after seven days of treatment. Metabolomics identified 30 metabolites in the urine as potential biomarkers of insomnia, and NLP significantly altered 25 of these, involving 21 metabolic pathways. NLP has a remarkable effect on insomnia, the therapeutic effects of which may be largely due to the rectification of metabolic disturbances. This is the first study of the sedative and hypnotic effects of NLP from a metabolomic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yang
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China
| | - Zhe Chen
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China
| | - Guangli Yan
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China; State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau
| | - Ling Kong
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China
| | - Le Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome, The Second Affiliated Hospital Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dade Road 111, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Sun
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China.
| | - Ying Han
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Wusuli River Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Heilongjiang, China
| | - Xijun Wang
- National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin, China; State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau; State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome, The Second Affiliated Hospital Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dade Road 111, Guangzhou, China.
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Nieoczym D, Banono NS, Stępnik K, Kaczor AA, Szybkowski P, Esguerra CV, Kukula-Koch W, Gawel K. In Silico Analysis, Anticonvulsant Activity, and Toxicity Evaluation of Schisandrin B in Zebrafish Larvae and Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12949. [PMID: 37629132 PMCID: PMC10455331 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate the anticonvulsant potential of schisandrin B, a main ingredient of Schisandra chinensis extracts. Schisandrin B showed anticonvulsant activity in the zebrafish larva pentylenetetrazole acute seizure assay but did not alter seizure thresholds in the intravenous pentylenetetrazole test in mice. Schisandrin B crosses the blood-brain barrier, which we confirmed in our in silico and in vivo analyses; however, the low level of its unbound fraction in the mouse brain tissue may explain the observed lack of anticonvulsant activity. Molecular docking revealed that the anticonvulsant activity of the compound in larval zebrafish might have been due to its binding to a benzodiazepine site within the GABAA receptor and/or the inhibition of the glutamate NMDA receptor. Although schisandrin B showed a beneficial anticonvulsant effect, toxicological studies revealed that it caused serious developmental impairment in zebrafish larvae, underscoring its teratogenic properties. Further detailed studies are needed to precisely identify the properties, pharmacological effects, and safety of schisandrin B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Nieoczym
- Department of Animal Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Nancy Saana Banono
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Gaustadalleen 21, Forskningsparken, 0349 Oslo, Norway; (N.S.B.); (C.V.E.)
| | - Katarzyna Stępnik
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3/243, 20-031 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka A. Kaczor
- Department of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances with Computer Modeling Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 4A Chodzki St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Przemysław Szybkowski
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego St. 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
- Clinical Provincial Hospital No. 2 St. Jadwiga Krolowej in Rzeszow, Lwowska St. 60, 35-301 Rzeszow, Poland
| | - Camila Vicencio Esguerra
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Gaustadalleen 21, Forskningsparken, 0349 Oslo, Norway; (N.S.B.); (C.V.E.)
| | - Wirginia Kukula-Koch
- Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plants Garden, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki St. 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Kinga Gawel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego St. 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
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Wang H, Gu Y, Khalid R, Chen X, Han T. Herbal medicines for insomnia through regulating 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors: a systematic review. Chin J Nat Med 2023; 21:483-498. [PMID: 37517817 DOI: 10.1016/s1875-5364(23)60405-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder without effective therapy and can affect a person's life. The mechanism of the disease is not completely understood. Hence, there is a need to understand the targets related to insomnia, in order to develop innovative therapies and new compounds. Recently, increasing interest has been focused on complementary and alternative medicines for treating or preventing insomnia. Research into their molecular components has revealed that their sedative and sleep-promoting properties rely on the interactions with various neurotransmitter systems in the brain. In this review, the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in insomnia development is summarized, while a systematic analysis of studies is conducted to assess the mechanisms of herbal medicines on different 5-HT receptors subtypes, in order to provide reference for subsequent research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai 200433, China; School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, China
| | - Yanqiu Gu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai 201999, China
| | - Rahman Khalid
- Faculty of Science, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, England
| | - Xiaofei Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai 200433, China.
| | - Ting Han
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai 200433, China.
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Study on the potential mechanism, therapeutic drugs and prescriptions of insomnia based on bioinformatics and molecular docking. Comput Biol Med 2022; 149:106001. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.106001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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PtNPs/Short MWCNT-PEDOT: PSS-Modified Microelectrode Array to Detect Neuronal Firing Patterns in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus and Hippocampus of Insomnia Rats. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13030488. [PMID: 35334780 PMCID: PMC8950864 DOI: 10.3390/mi13030488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Research on the intracerebral mechanism of insomnia induced by serotonin (5-HT) deficiency is indispensable. In order to explore the effect of 5-HT deficiency-induced insomnia on brain regions related to memory in rats, we designed and fabricated a microelectrode array that simultaneously detects the electrical activity of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and hippocampus in normal, insomnia and recovery rats in vivo. In the DRN and hippocampus of insomnia rats, our results showed that the spike amplitudes decreased by 40.16 and 57.92%, the spike repolarization slope decreased by 44.64 and 48.59%, and the spiking rate increased by 66.81 and 63.40%. On a mesoscopic scale, the increased firing rates of individual neurons led to an increased δ wave power. In the DRN and hippocampus of insomnia rats, the δ wave power increased by 57.57 and 67.75%. Furthermore, two segments’ δ wave slopes were also increased in two brain regions of the insomnia rats. Our findings suggest that 5-HT deficiency causes the hyperactivity of neurons in the hippocampus and DRN; the DRN’s firing rate and the hippocampal neuronal amplitude reflect insomnia in rats more effectively. Further studies on alleviating neurons affected by 5-HT deficiency and on achieving a highly effective treatment for insomnia by the microelectrode array are needed.
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Wang L, Wang P, Chen Y, Li C, Wang X, Zhang Y, Li S, Yang M. Utilizing network pharmacology and experimental validation to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of BanXia-YiYiRen in treating insomnia. Bioengineered 2022; 13:3148-3170. [PMID: 35067174 PMCID: PMC8974230 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2026862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BanXia-YiYiRen (Pinellia Ternata and Coix Seed, BX-YYR) has been clinically proven to be an effective Chinese medicine compatible with the treatment of insomnia. However, the underlying mechanism of BX-YYR against insomnia remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the pharmacological mechanisms of BX-YYR in treating insomnia based on network pharmacology and experimental validation. The drug-disease targets were obtained using publicly available databases. The analysis revealed 21 active compounds and 101 potential targets of BX-YYR from the pharmacological database of Chinese medicine system and analysis platform (TCMSP) and 1020 related targets of insomnia from the GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases. Furthermore, 38 common targets of BX-YYR against insomnia were identified, and these common targets were used to construct a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. The visual PPI network was constructed by Cytoscape software. The top three genes from PPI according to degree value are FOS, AKT1, and CASP3. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were applied to reveal the potential targets and signaling pathways involved in BX-YYR against insomnia, especially the serotonergic pathway. In addition, molecular docking revealed that baicalein, beta-sitosterol, and stigmasterol displayed strong binding to AKT1, FOS, PRKCA, and VEGFA. Experimental study found that BX-YYR against insomnia might play a role in improving sleep by modulating the serotonergic pathway. In summary, our findings revealed the underlying mechanism of BX-YYR against insomnia and provided an objective basis for further experimental study and clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wang
- Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Peng Wang
- Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingfan Chen
- Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chen Li
- Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuelin Wang
- Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yin Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaodan Li
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Minghui Yang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
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Queen bee larva consumption improves sleep disorder and regulates gut microbiota in mice with PCPA-induced insomnia. FOOD BIOSCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbio.2021.101256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Bruni O, Ferini-Strambi L, Giacomoni E, Pellegrino P. Herbal Remedies and Their Possible Effect on the GABAergic System and Sleep. Nutrients 2021; 13:530. [PMID: 33561990 PMCID: PMC7914492 DOI: 10.3390/nu13020530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep is an essential component of physical and emotional well-being, and lack, or disruption, of sleep due to insomnia is a highly prevalent problem. The interest in complementary and alternative medicines for treating or preventing insomnia has increased recently. Centuries-old herbal treatments, popular for their safety and effectiveness, include valerian, passionflower, lemon balm, lavender, and Californian poppy. These herbal medicines have been shown to reduce sleep latency and increase subjective and objective measures of sleep quality. Research into their molecular components revealed that their sedative and sleep-promoting properties rely on interactions with various neurotransmitter systems in the brain. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a major role in controlling different vigilance states. GABA receptors are the targets of many pharmacological treatments for insomnia, such as benzodiazepines. Here, we perform a systematic analysis of studies assessing the mechanisms of action of various herbal medicines on different subtypes of GABA receptors in the context of sleep control. Currently available evidence suggests that herbal extracts may exert some of their hypnotic and anxiolytic activity through interacting with GABA receptors and modulating GABAergic signaling in the brain, but their mechanism of action in the treatment of insomnia is not completely understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliviero Bruni
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luigi Ferini-Strambi
- Department of Neurology, Ospedale San Raffaele Turro, 20127 Milan, Italy;
- Sleep Disorders Center, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Giacomoni
- Department of Medical Affairs, Sanofi Consumer HealthCare, 20158 Milan, Italy; (E.G.); (P.P.)
| | - Paolo Pellegrino
- Department of Medical Affairs, Sanofi Consumer HealthCare, 20158 Milan, Italy; (E.G.); (P.P.)
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