Table 2.
Experimental research of neurotransmitters affected by tonic traditional Chinese medicine.
| Condition | Products (classification)/formula | Effective components | Animals (weight/age) |
Modelsa | Daily dose (duration) |
Material parts |
Neurotransmitters/relative receptors | Mainb results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depression |
Rhodiola rosea (Qi-invigorating) |
Ethanol extract | Male SD rats 180–200 g |
CMUS | 1.5, 3, and 6 g/kg (3 weeks) |
Hippocampus | 5-HT level | 5-HT↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Depression |
Acanthopanax senticosus (Qi-invigorating) |
Aqueous extract | Male KM mice 18–20 g |
FST TST |
500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg (7 days) |
Brain | 5-HT, NE, and DA |
5-HT↑ NE↑ DA↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Depression |
Ginseng (Qi-invigorating) |
20(S)-protopanaxadiol | Male Swiss mice 18–22 g Male SD rats 200–250 g |
FST TST OB |
3.75, 7.5, and 15 mg/kg (10 days) 13.33 and 6.67 mg/kg (14 days) |
Hippocampus and cortex | NE and 5-HT | NE↑ and 5-HT↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Depression |
Licorice (Qi-invigorating) |
Liquiritin and isoliquiritin | Mice | FST TST |
10, 20, and 40 mg/kg | Hippocampus, hypothalamus, and cortex | 5-HT and NE | 5-HT↑ NE↑ 5-HIAA/5-HT↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| Depression |
Peony (blood tonics) |
Paeoniflorin H | Male SD rats 140–160 g |
CMUS | 30 and 60 mg/kg (4 weeks) |
Brain | 5-HT/5-HIAA, NA and DA | NA↑ DA↑ 5-HT↑ 5-HIAA/5-HT↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| Depression |
Psoralea corylifolia (Yang-invigorating) |
Psoralen | Male ICR mice 23–25 g, |
FST | 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg (14 days) |
Frontal cortex and hippocampus | 5-HT/5-HIAA | 5-HT↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| AD |
Eclipta alba (Ying-invigorating) |
Aqueous extracts | Half male and female SD rats 220 ± 20 g |
Aβ25–35- infused | 8 and 24 g/kg (8 weeks) |
Hippocampal | NE, DA, 5-HT, ChAT, and AChE |
NE↑ DA↑ 5-Ht↑ChAT↑ AchE↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| AD |
Morinda officinalis (Yang-invigorating) |
Bajijiasu | Male SD rats 180–220 g, |
Aβ25–35- infused | 8, 24, and 48 mg/kg (25 days) |
Brain | ACh, AchE NE, DA, 5-HT, and 5-HIAA |
ACh↑ AchE↓ NE↑ DA↑ 5-HT↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| AD | Cistanche Tubulosa (Yang-invigorating) | Aqueous extracts | Male SD rats 300–350 g |
Aβ 1–42-infused | 100 and 200 mg/kg (15 days) |
Cortical and hippocampal | ACh, DA AChE, and MAO-A |
DA↑ AChE↓ MAO-A↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Acanthopanax senticosus Harms (Qi-invigorating) |
Ethanol extract | Male C57BL/6 mice 18–22 g, | MPTP-treated | 45.5 and 182 mg/kg (20 days) |
Striatum | DA, HVA | DA↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Panax quinqnefolism (Qi-invigorating) |
Pseudoginsenoside-F11 | Male SD rats 200–250 g |
6-OHDA-induced | 3, 6, and 12 mg/kg (3 weeks) |
Striatum | DA TH |
DA↑ TH↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Astragalus (Qi-invigorating) |
Astragalus polysaccharide | C. elegans strain BZ555. | 6-OHDA-induced | 1, 2, and 4 mg/mL | BZ555 nematodes | DA and AChE |
DA↑ AChE↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Peony (blood tonics) |
Paeoniflorin | Adult male C57BL/6 mice 25 g,; | MPTP-treated | 7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg (7 days) |
Striatum | DA, HVA, DAT, and TH | DA↑ HVA↑ DAT↑ TH↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Fallopia multiflora (blood tonics) |
2,3,5,4-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside | Male C57BL/6 mice 22–25 g |
MPTP-induced | 20 and 40 mg/kg (14 days) |
Striatum | DA, DOPAC, HVA, and TH | DA↑ DOPAC↑ HVA↑ TH↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Fructus Alpinia oxyphylla (Yang-invigorating) |
Ethanolic extract | Zebrafish | 6-OHDA-induced | 6 and 12 μg/ml (2 days) |
Brain | DA | DA↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD |
Psoralea corylifolia (Yang-invigorating) |
△3,2-hydroxy bakuchiol | Male SD rats 200–220 g Male C57BL/6J mice 30–36 g |
MPTP-induced | 5.44, 16.32, and 48.96 mg/kg 4, 20, and 100 mg/kg |
Striatum Hippocampal |
DA, NE, and TH |
DA↑ NE↑ TH↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| PD | Jia-Jian-Di-Huang-Yin-Zi decoction | Radix Paeonia alba, Angelica sinensis, Radix Rehmanniae, Morinda officinalis, and Cistanche | Male C57BL/6 mice 25–30 g | MPTP-induced | 8.5, 17, and 34 g/kg (14 days) |
Striatum | DOPAC, DA, and HVA | DA↑ DOPA↑ HVA↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Sleep disorders | Licorice (Qi-invigorating) | Ethanol extract; glabrol |
Male ICR mice 18–22 g Male C57BL/6 N mice 27–30 g |
Pentobarbital-induced sleep | 50, 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg 50 mg/kg |
Cortex | GABAA-BZD receptors | GABAA-BZD↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Sleep disorders |
Eleutherococcus senticosus (Qi-invigorating) |
Eleutheroside E | Male ICR mice 18–22 g |
Sleep deprivation | 50 mg/kg (10 days) |
Hippocampus | 5-HT and DA | 5-HT↑ DA↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| Sleep disorders |
Alpinia oxyphylla fructus (Yang-invigorating) |
Volatile oil | Half male and female Wistar rats (200 ± 20) g |
Sleep deprivation | 9 and 27 g/kg (14 days) |
Hypothalamus Cortex |
Glu and GABA |
Glu↓ GABA↑ |
|
| ||||||||
| Perimenopausal syndrome | A derivative herbal recipe from Danggui Buxue Tang |
Radix Astragali,Radix Ange, Llicae sinensis,
Folium Epimedii |
Female SD rats (180 ± 20) g |
OVX | 141, 282, and 564 mg/kg (16 weeks) |
Hypothalamuses | NE, DA, 5-HT, and 5-HIAA | NE↓ DA↓ 5-HT↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| Perimenopausal syndrome | Erzhibaihe Cream | Glossy Privet Fruit, Eclipta alba,Lily | Female Wistar rats (200 ± 20) g |
OVX | 0.48, 0.96 and 1.92 mg/kg (45 days) |
Hypothalamus | NE, DA, and 5-HT | NE↓ DA↓ 5-HT↓ |
|
| ||||||||
| Perimenopausal syndrome | Bushen Liaogeng Extract (BLE) |
RadixRehmannia,
Praeparata Cistanche Cynomorium songaricum |
Female SD rats 180–220 g |
OVX | 4.5, 9 and 18 g/kg (4 weeks) |
Hypothalamus | DA, NE, 5-Ht, and 5-HIAA | DA↓ NE↓ 5-HT↓ 5-HIAA↓ |
Note. aModels: CMUS: chronic mild unpredictable stress; FST: forced swimming test; TST: tail suspension test; OFT: open-field test; OB: olfactory bulbectomy; 6-OHDA: 6-hydroxydopamine; OVX: ovariectomy; bmain results↑: increased compared with model or control group; bmain results↓: decreased compared with model or control group.