Traditional Chinese Medicine formula Wubi Shanyao Pills protects against reproductive aging by activating SIRT1/3 to reduce apoptosis

Beneficial Effects of Dendrobium officinale Extract on Insomnia Rats Induced by Strong Light and Noise via Regulating GABA and GABAA Receptors

OBJECTIVE

To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia.

METHODS

Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABAA receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABAA receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.

A narrative review on inflammaging and late-onset hypogonadism

The increasing life expectancy observed in recent years has resulted in a higher prevalence of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in older men. LOH is characterized by the decline in testosterone levels and can have significant impacts on physical and mental health. While the underlying causes of LOH are not fully understood, there is a growing interest in exploring the role of inflammaging in its development. Inflammaging is a concept that describes the chronic, low-grade, systemic inflammation that occurs as a result of aging. This inflammatory state has been implicated in the development of various age-related diseases. Several cellular and molecular mechanisms have been identified as contributors to inflammaging, including immune senescence, cellular senescence, autophagy defects, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Despite the extensive research on inflammaging, its relationship with LOH has not yet been thoroughly reviewed in the literature. To address this gap, we aim to review the latest findings related to inflammaging and its impact on the development of LOH. Additionally, we will explore interventions that target inflammaging as potential treatments for LOH.