Improving effects of DX-9386, a traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, on thymectomy-induced impairment of learning behaviors in mice.
The subject mice were thymectomized 4 weeks after birth. Ten months after the thymectomy, learning behaviors in passive and active avoidance performances and a spatial memory task, the contents of brain monoamines and brain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, as well as the immune response were evaluated. DX-9386, a traditional Chinese medicinal prescription consisting of ginseng, polygala, acorus and hoelen, was prepared in CE-2 mouse food (1%, w/w) and given to the thymectomized mice after the operation until all the experiments were finished. DX-9386 treatment significantly ameliorated the learning and memory ability impaired by thymectomy in passive avoidance performances and in a spatial memory task, and the mice tended to improve in the active avoidance performance of a lever press test. However, DX-9386 treatment did not improve the thymectomy-reduced immune response. The contents of hypothalamic norepinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid, and hypothalamic ChAT activity were significantly increased in thymectomized mice, and DX-9386 restored them to the control levels. These results suggested that DX-9386 mainly affected the cognitive process of the central nervous system to ameliorate the learning and memory deficit induced by thymectomy.
Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Y
Y
Zhang
H
H
Saito
N
N
Nishiyama
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D013934:Thymectomy
D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; C091755:DX 9386; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase