Acute and chronic effects of ginseng saponins on maternal aggression in mice.
The present study investigated the acute and chronic effects of crude ginseng saponin (CGS), pure ginsenoside Rb1 (GS-Rb1) and ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) on maternal aggression in mice. Maternal aggression was determined on postpartum days 5 and 7 in female mice that had been housed alone since the end of the 4-day mating period. Acute intraperitoneal administration of CGS (50 and 100 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression in a dose-dependent manner, whereas GS-Rg1 was ineffective. As compared with the vehicle-treated group, chronic treatment with CGS (50 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression without causing motor dysfunction, whereas GS-Rg1 (2.5 mg/kg) showed a tendency to facilitate maternal aggression. These findings indicate that the root of Panax ginseng contains a psychoactive ingredient, GS-Rb1, which can suppress maternal aggression.
Department of Pharmacology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Japan.
H
H
Yoshimura
K
K
Watanabe
N
N
Ogawa
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D005894:Panax; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology*
D012503:Saponins