Open AccessEffect of Japanese Angelica Root Extract on Pentobarbital-Induced Sleep in Group-Housed and Socially Isolated Mice: Evidence for the Central Action.
Author(s) -
Kinzo Matsumoto,
Shin-ichi Kohno,
Yasuhiro Tezuka,
Shigetoshi Kadota,
Hiroshi Watanabe
Publication year - 1997
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.73.353
Subject(s) - yohimbine , pentobarbital , endocrinology , agonist , medicine , sleep (system call) , methoxamine , alpha (finance) , chemistry , pharmacology , psychology , antagonist , receptor , developmental psychology , psychometrics , construct validity , computer science , operating system
We investigated the effect of the aqueous extract of Japanese angelica root (JAR) on pentobarbital (PB) sleep in group-housed and socially isolated mice. The JAR extract (1.25-2.5 g/kg, p.o.) dose-dependently reversed the decrease in PB sleep caused by isolation stress without affecting PB sleep in group-housed mice. The JAR extract (2.5 g/kg, p.o.) also antagonized the decrease in PB sleep caused by the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists yohimbine and idazoxan (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and the alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist methoxamine (200 nmol, i.c.v.) in group-housed mice. These results suggest that the JAR extract reverses changes in the arousal level caused by isolation stress and the activation of central noradrenergic systems.