title: Hypnotic effects of a novel anti-insomnia formula on Drosophila insomnia model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the biological effects of the six-herb mixture Anti-Insomia Formula (AIF) extract using caffeine-induced insomnia Drosophila model and short-sleep mutants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caffeineinduced insomnia wild-type Drosophila and short-sleep mutant flies minisleep (mns) and Hyperkinetic(Y) (Hk(Y)) were used to assess the hypnotic effects of the AIF in vivo. The night time activity, the amount of night time sleep and the number of sleep bouts were determined using Drosophila activity monitoring system. Sleep was defined as any period of uninterrupted behavioral immobility (0 count per minute) lasting > 5 min. Night time sleep was calculated by summing up the sleep time in the dark period. Number of sleep bouts was calculated by counting the number of sleep episodes in the dark period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AIF at the dosage of 50 mg/mL, effectively attenuated caffeine-induced wakefulness (P<0.01) in wild-type Canton-S flies as indicated by the reduction of the sleep bouts, night time activities and increase of the amount of night time sleep. AIF also significantly reduced sleeping time of short-sleep Hk(Y) mutant flies (P<0.01). However, AIF did not produce similar effect in mns mutants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AIF might be able to rescue the abnormal condition caused by mutated modulatory subunit of the tetrameric potassium channel, but not rescuing the abnormal nerve firing caused by Shaker gene mutation. This study provides the scientific evidence to support the use of AIF in Chinese medicine for promoting sleep quality in insomnia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Hay
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Chi-Man
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Koon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Siu-Lung
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Kwok-Ying
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Clara Bik-San
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Edwin Ho-Yin
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Kwok
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Kwok-Pui
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. pingcleung@cuhk.edu.hk.|State Key Laboratory of Photochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. pingcleung@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Ping-Chung
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C094813:Hk (hyperkinetic) protein, Drosophila; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D015221:Potassium Channels; D002110:Caffeine
keywords: Anemarrhena asphodeloides; Chinese medicine; Polygala tenuifolia; Polygonum multiflorum; Poria cocos; Triticum aestivu; Ziziphus jujube; caffeine; hypnotic effects