Open AccessEffects of Palmatine on Motor Activity and the Concentration of Central Monoamines and Its Metabolites in Rats
Author(s) -
Μing-Tsuen Hsieh,
Su-Hei Su,
Huei-Yann Tsai,
Wen-Huang Peng,
Chih-Chang Hsieh,
Chieh-Fu Chen
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
japanese journal of pharmacology/japanese journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1347-3506
pISSN - 0021-5198
DOI - 10.1254/jjp.61.1
Subject(s) - homovanillic acid , palmatine , benserazide , monoamine neurotransmitter , chemistry , dopamine , serotonin , reserpine , endocrinology , medicine , cortex (anatomy) , pharmacology , catecholamine , biochemistry , psychology , neuroscience , parkinson's disease , levodopa , receptor , disease , berberine
We used behavioral and biochemical methods to investigate the sedative effect of palmatine on locomotor activity and the concentration of monoamine in rats. It was found that palmatine enhanced the hypomotility induced by alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, reserpine and 5-hydroxytryptophan, but reduced the hypermotility produced by L-dopa plus benserazide and p-chlorophenylalanine. Furthermore, palmatine significantly decreased the concentration of dopamine and homovanillic acid in the cortex and the concentration of serotonin in the brain stem, and it increased the concentration of 5-HT in the cortex and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid in the brain stem. These results suggest that the sedative mechanism of palmatine may be related to the decrease in the concentration of catecholamine in the cortex and serotonin in brain stem and the increase in the concentration of 5-HT in the cortex.