title: Pharmacological evaluation of sedative and hypnotic effects of schizandrin through the modification of pentobarbital-induced sleep behaviors in mice.
abstract: The fruits of Schisandra chinensis have been recorded as an effective somnificant for the treatment of insomnia in some oriental countries pharmacopoeias. However, the mechanism of sedative and hypnotic effects of this kind of herb is still unclear. In the present study, schizandrin, which is the main component of Schisandra chinensis, was selected as a target compound to investigate possible mechanisms through behavioral pharmacology methods. The results showed that schizandrin possessed dose-dependent (5-45 mg/kg, i.p.) sedative effects on locomotion activity in normal mice, and produced a dose-dependent decrease in sleep latency and an increase in sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice; thus, itself did not induce sleep at higher dose which was used in this experiment (45 mg/kg, i.p.). It also can reverse the rodent models of insomnia induced by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) and caffeine, which could exhibit a syne with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) as well; therefore, the hypnotic effects of schizandrin were not inhibited by flumazenil (a specific gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A-BZD receptor antagonist). Altogether, these results indicated that schizandrin produces beneficial sedative and hypnotic bioactivity, which might be mediated by the modification of the serotonergic system.
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Chenning
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Aijing
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang, PR China.
authors.forename: Kaishun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China. Electronic address: jiayingsyphu@126.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine; D034242:Cyclooctanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010134:Fenclonine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000494:pharmacology; D005638:Fruit; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D034242:Cyclooctanes; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D017705:Lignans; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D002110:Caffeine; D005442:Flumazenil; D006916:5-Hydroxytryptophan; C011105:schizandrin; D010424:Pentobarbital; D010134:Fenclonine
keywords: Chemical compounds studied in this article:; Pentobarbital sleep; Schizandrin; Schizandrin (PubChem CID: 23915); Sedative–hypnotic effects; Serotonergic system