Extract of Ganoderma lucidum potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleep via a GABAergic mechanism.
Ganoderma lucidum has been used for the treatment of a variety of diseases. For the first time here we report a detailed study on the mechanisms and effects of G. lucidum aqueous extract (GLE) on sleep and its sedative activity. GLE showed no effects on sleep architecture in normal rats at doses of 80 and 120 mg/kg. However, GLE significantly decreased sleep latency, increased sleeping time, non-REM sleep time and light sleep time in pentobarbital-treated rats. Suppression of locomotor activity in normal mice induced by GLE was also observed. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg showed a significant antagonistic effect on the shortening in sleep latency, increase in sleeping time, non-REM sleep time or light sleep time in pentobarbital-treated rat induced by GLE. Significant effect was also observed with GLE on delta activity during non-REM sleep and flumazenil did not block this effect. In conclusion, GLE may be a herb having benzodiazepine-like hypnotic activity at least in part.
Chu
Qing-Ping
QP
Department of Pharmacology, Peking University, School of Basic Medical Science, 38 Xueyuan Lu, Beijing 100083, China.
Wang
Li-En
LE
Cui
Xiang-Yu
XY
Fu
Hong-Zheng
HZ
Lin
Zhi-Bin
ZB
Lin
Shu-Qian
SQ
Zhang
Yong-He
YH
D000818:Animals; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020940:Reishi / Q000737:chemistry*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology*
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018757:GABA Modulators; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D005442:Flumazenil; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D010424:Pentobarbital