title: Effects of hachimijiogan on dopamine, serotonin and vasoactive intestinal peptide in plasma and hypothalamus in sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemic rats.
abstract: Effect of Hachimijiogan (HJ) on dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was examined in plasma and hypothalamic tissue of sulpiride-induced hyperprolactinemic rats (SHR). Similar to bromocriptine (BR), HJ, in combination with sulpiride, suppressed plasma prolactin levels raised by sulpiride alone. Furthermore, HJ, together with sulpiride, increased plasma DA levels decreased by sulpiride alone, while 5-HT in plasma was increased by sulpiride and HJ, individually or in combination. However, plasma VIP levels were under detection limits on some occasions after HJ treatment. Successively, DA, 5-HT and VIP levels in the hypothalamus were determined. Similar to the effect caused by BR, DA and 5-HT levels in hypothalamic tissue reduced by sulpiride alone were also significantly increased by HJ together with sulpiride, while VIP levels were sometimes under detection levels with or without HJ. These results suggest that HJ stimulates the hypothalamus to increase DA and 5-HT in SHR, providing evidence for the clinical efficiency of HJ in combating hyperprolactinemia. The effect of HJ on VIP in plasma or hypothalamic tissue is, however, questionable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usuki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000494:pharmacology; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C054591:hachimijiogan; D012701:Serotonin; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide; D001971:Bromocriptine; D013469:Sulpiride; D004298:Dopamine