title: Effects of aqueous extracts from Panax ginseng and Hippophae rhamnoides on acute alcohol intoxication: An experimental study using mouse model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) is a frequent emergency, but therapeutic drugs with superior efficacy and safety are lacking. Panax ginseng (PG) and Hippophae rhamnoides (HR) respectively has a wide application as a complementary therapeutic agent in China for the treatment of AAI and liver injury induced by alcohol. We investigated the effects of aqueous extracts from PG and HR (AEPH) on AAI mice and identified its underlying mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Models of AAI were induced by intragastric administration of ethanol (8g/kg). Seventy-two Specific pathogen-free (SPF) male Kunming mice were randomly divided into six groups: normal group, positive control group, AEPH of low dosage (100mg/kg) group, AEPH of medium dose (200mg/kg) group, AEPH of high dosage (400mg/kg) group and model group. The mice were treated with metadoxine (MTD, 500mg/kg) and AEPH. Thirty minutes later, the normal group was given normal saline, while the other groups were given ethanol (i.g., 8g/kg). The impact of AEPH was observed. In the same way, another seventy-two Kunming mice were randomly divided into six groups equally. The blood ethanol concentration at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 6h after ethanol intake was determined by way of gas chromatography. The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and microsomal ethanol oxidase (EO) in liver, and the concentration of β-endorphin (β-EP), leucine-enkephalin (LENK) in the brain were determined by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  AEPH markedly prolonged alcohol tolerance time and shortened sober-up time after acute ethanol administration. AEPH decreased blood ethanol levels in six tests after ethanol intake. The 7-day survival rate of AEPH group was obviously superior to model group. AEPH increased the activities of ADH, ALDH, and decreased EO activity in liver. The crucial find was that AEPH markedly decreased β-EP and LENK concentration in the brain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AEPH can markedly increase the levels of ADH, ALDH, decrease EO activity in liver and decrease the concentration of β-EP and LENK in the brain to against acute alcohol intoxication in mice.
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China; Department of Infectious Diseases, Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 610072 Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Da-Chao
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 610072 Sichuan Province, China. Electronic address: xiaoyuhu@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 610072 Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 610072 Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Xing
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Ling-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Xin-Yue
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D031281:Hippophae / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000067401:Blood Alcohol Content; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C092153:microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase
keywords: Alcohol dehydrogenase; Alcoholism; Aldehyde dehydrogenase; Leucine-enkephalin; Traditional Chinese Medicine; β-endorphin