title: Radix Angelica Sinensis Promotes Synaptic Plasticity During Cognitive Recovery in Chronically Stressed Rats.
abstract: The accumulation of chronic stress is associated with cognitive dysfunction. Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) has been shown to have neuroprotective potential for treating Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. However, the impact of RAS on cognitive impairment induced by chronic stress has not been studied. In the present study, RAS significantly alleviated cognitive deficits in rats subjected to chronic restraint stress. This neuroprotective effect was associated with enhancement of synaptic efficacy by improving field excitatory postsynaptic potential amplitudes, alleviating adverse alterations in the structure of synapses and neurons in the hippocampus, and increasing the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, microtubule-associated protein-2, and synaptophysin in the hippocampus. These findings provide initial evidence for the therapeutic potential of RAS for the treatment of neuronal deterioration caused by chronic stress.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Clinical Medical Research Center for Dementia and Cognitive Impairment of Hubei Province, 169 Donghu Road, Wuhan 430071, P.R. China. hmsun1968@163.com.
authors.forename: Huimin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yuanteng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Junjian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D029971:Angelica sinensis; D000818:Animals; D001703:Biophysics; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016708:Synaptophysin; C044613:angelicae sinensis extract