Effects of the traditional Japanese medicine Unkei-to on the corticotropin-releasing factor-induced increase in locomotor activity.
The effect of Unkei-to, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine and strong in vitro releaser of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC), on the increase in locomotor activity induced by intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in male rats in a familiar environment was investigated. Oral administration of Unkei-to (100 mg/kg) for 1 week significantly attenuated the CRF-induced increase in locomotor activity. Unkei-to also reduced the CRF-induced accumulation of hypothalamic CINC, which has a functional antagonistic action on the response to CRF; the reduction may reflect an increased release of CINC. These results suggest that Unkei-to has an alleviative effect on the action induced by brain CRF and the mechanism of this effect may partly involve CINC.
Tsumura Research Institute Medicinal Evaluation Laboratory, Tsumura and Co., Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, Japan. terawaki_kiyoshi@mail.tsumura.co.jp
Kiyoshi
K
Terawaki
Koji
K
Koike
Mitsutoshi
M
Yuzurihara
Yoshio
Y
Kase
Shuichi
S
Takeda
Masaki
M
Aburada
Kouichi
K
Murakami
Satoshi
S
Ohno
Nobutaka
N
Suzuki
Masaki
M
Inoue
D000818:Animals; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C058415:unkei-to; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone