title: Long-term Treatment with Oriental Medicinal Herb Artemisia princeps Alters Neuroplasticity in a Rat Model of Ovarian Hormone Deficiency.
abstract: Artemisia princeps (AP) is a flowering perennial used as a traditional medicine and dietary supplement across East Asia. No study has yet assessed its effects on synaptic plasticity in hippocampus and much less in a model of ovarian hormone deficiency. We examined the influence of chronic oral AP ethanol extract treatment in ovariectomized rats on the induction of long-term depression in a representative synapse (CA3-CA1) of the hippocampus. Ovariectomized rats demonstrated lower trabecular mean bone mineral densities than sham, validating the establishment of pathology. Against this background of pathology, AP-treated ovariectomized rats exhibited attenuated long-term depression (LTD) in CA1 relative to water-treated controls as measured by increased field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSP) activation averages over the post-stimulation period. While pathological significance of long-term depression (LTD) in ovariectomized rats is conflicting, that AP treatment significantly affected its induction offers justification for further study of its influences on plasticity and its related disorders.
authors: Department of East-West Medical Science, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Hyun-Bum
authors: HB
authors: Kim
authors: Department of East-West Medical Science, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Byeong-Jae
authors: BJ
authors: Kwon
authors: Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Hyun-Ji
authors: HJ
authors: Cho
authors: Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Ji-Won
authors: JW
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Jeong-Woo
authors: JW
authors: Chon
authors: College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 406-799, Korea.
authors: Moon-Ho
authors: MH
authors: Do
authors: Department of Oriental Medicinal Materials and Processing, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Sang-Yong
authors: SY
authors: Park
authors: College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, Incheon 406-799, Korea.
authors: Sun-Yeou
authors: SY
authors: Kim
authors: Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Sung-Ho
authors: SH
authors: Maeng
authors: Department of Medical Nutrition, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea. ; Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Yoo-Kyoung
authors: YK
authors: Park
authors: Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School of East-West Medical Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea. ; Research Institute of Medical Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701, Korea.
authors: Ji-Ho
authors: JH
authors: Park
keywords: Artemisia princeps; Oriental medicine; hippocampal synaptic plasticity; long-term depression (LTD); ovariectomy