Effect of Zena F-III, a liquid nutritive and tonic drug, on the neurochemical changes elicited by physical fatigue in mice

Phytochemistry, Ethnopharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicology of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson

Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson (CMC) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been widely grown and used in Asia. It is also known as "She chuang zi" in China (Chinese: ), "Jashoshi" in Japan, "Sasangia" in Korea, and "Xa sang tu" in Vietnam. This study aimed to provide an up-to-date review of its phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology. All available information on CMC was collected from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and China Network Knowledge Infrastructure. The updated chemical structures of the compounds are those ones without chemical ID numbers or references from the previous review. A total of 429 chemical constituents have been elucidated and 56 chemical structures have been firstly identified in CMC with traceable evidence. They can be categorized as coumarins, volatile constituents, liposoluble compounds, chromones, monoterpenoid glucosides, terpenoids, glycosides, glucides, and other compounds. CMC has demonstrated impressive potential for the management of various diseases in extensive preclinical research. Since most of the studies are overly concentrated on osthole, more research is needed to investigate other chemical constituents.

Liver hydrolysate assists in the recovery from physical fatigue in a mouse model

It is reported that liver hydrolysate (LH) enhances liver function. However, the effects of LH on physical fatigue are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of LH on alterations in locomotor activity and energy metabolism such as 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), glycogen content, and blood lactic acid, after forced walking. Adult male ddY mice were used. Locomotor activity, AMPK phosphorylation, and glycogen content in the liver and soleus muscle, as well as blood lactic acid were determined following LH treatment before and/or after forced walking. The locomotor activity significantly decreased after forced walking for 3 h. Two administrations of LH (30 or 100 mg/kg) significantly increased the locomotor activity, while a single administration either before or after forced walking did not show any specific effect. Administering LH twice activated AMPK in the liver and soleus muscle. Glycogen levels significantly decreased in both the liver and soleus muscle after forced walking, whereas the blood lactate level significantly increased. In contrast, administering LH twice increased muscle glycogen and decreased blood lactic acid. These findings indicate that LH produced an anti-fatigue effect and that this effect appears to involve the efficient glycogen utilization through activation of AMPK.

Natural drug extracts for a nutritive-tonic drink, promotes the induction of long-term potentiation in rat hippocampal dentate gyrus in vivo

We have shown previously that oral administration of a nutritive-tonic drink (NTD) improves scopolamine-induced memory impairment in the passive avoidance task and Morris water-maze in mice and that this action is attributable to the natural drug extracts, rather than synthetic drugs such as taurine and caffeine, in the NTD. In order to investigate the mechanism underlying the antiamnesic effects of the natural drug extracts, the effects of the extracts on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in the dentate gyrus (DG) of normal and scopolamine-treated rats. Oral administration of natural drug extracts enhanced the induction of population spike amplitude induced by weak tetanic stimulation (30 pulses at 60 Hz). Scopolamine (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) completely inhibited the induction of LTP induced by both weak and strong tetanic stimulation (100 pulses at 100 Hz). Natural drug extracts enhanced partially but significantly the induction of LTP by strong tetanus, but had a very weak effect on that induced by weak tetanus. These results suggest that LTP induced by strong tetanus is sensitive to natural drug extracts, and that the antiamnesic effect of the NTD is at least partly attributable to the LTP-improving effect of the natural drug extracts in the DG.

Effect of a Nutritive-Tonic Drink on Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice

The effects of a liquid nutritive and tonic drug (NTD) selected from a modification of the "Kai-xin-shou-yu-shen-qi-wan" prescription, on scopolamine-induced amnesia in mice were investigated using the passive avoidance and water-maze tasks. A popular NTD in Japan that contains 17 crude (natural) drug extracts together with synthetic drugs such as taurine, caffeine, various vitamins and ethanol, and the natural drug extracts is based on a prescription of "Kampo" origin in Chinese medicine. Scopolamine (0.4 mg/kg, i.p.) reduces the step-through latency of the passive avoidance test and fear reaction behavior at 24 and 48 h after treatment. A single oral administration of the NTD (10 ml/kg) increased the step-through latency and the fear reaction behavior score in scopolamine-treated mice. Administration of the natural drug extracts found in the NTD tended to extend the step-through latency in the retention test at 48 h, but not 24 h after the initial scopolamine trial. However, administration of the synthetic drugs found in the NTD did not improve either the step-through latency or the behavioral score. The NTD and the natural drug extracts also improved the scopolamine-induced spatial memory impairment as assessed using the Morris water-maze test. In contrast, the synthetic drugs did not affect the escape latencies. Both NTD and the synthetic drugs increased the locomotor activity in scopolamine-treated mice, whereas the natural drug extracts did not. These results suggest that NTD improves scopolamine-induced amnesia, and that this action is attributable to the natural drug extracts in the NTD.

Effect of a nutritive-tonic drink on stress-induced serum glucocorticoid in the mouse

We evaluated stress during "restraint with gnawing (R+G+)" and "restraint without gnawing (R+G-)" in a mouse system. R+G- induced a higher serum glucocorticoid level than R+G+. Zena F-III (a nutritive-tonic drink prescribed as "Kampo", a traditional Japanese medicine with its origin in Chinese medicine) reduced the glucocorticoid elevation in R+G+, but not in R+G-. These results support the hypotheses that (i) activity, such as gnawing, which potentially leading to escape from distress, reduces the severity of emotional distress and (ii) Zena F-III reduces the severity of mental or emotional fatigue, or increases motivation, in a stressful situation that the animal can manage itself.

Neurochemical changes in mice following physical or psychological stress exposures

An investigation on the mechanism of neurochemical changes in physically or psychologically stressed mice was carried out. Physical stress was induced by electric foot shocks (2 mA for 5 s at 30-s intervals), and psychological stress was induced by emotional stimuli from electric foot-shocked mice using a communication box. The serum and brain calcium levels and immunohistochemical brain dopamine levels increased, and the ethanol-induced sleeping time was prolonged following exposure to these stimuli. The effects of electric foot shocks on these physiological parameters were greater than those of emotional stimuli. In the psychologically stressed mice, serum and brain calcium levels significantly increased 15 and 60 min, respectively, after the start of exposure to stimuli. Also, the immunohistochemical dopamine levels in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens regions after 60 min of exposure to psychological stress were higher by 23% (P < 0.01) and 27% (P < 0.01), respectively, than those in unstressed control mice. Moreover, the ethanol-induced sleeping time was prolonged by approximately 60-100% (P < 0.01) in mice exposed to psychological stress for 30-120 min. The effect of emotional stimuli to prolong the ethanol-induced sleeping time was inhibited by intracerebroventricular administration of W-7 (a calmodulin antagonist) or alpha-methyltyrosine (an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase). In light of previous reports that calcium activates dopamine synthesis in the brain via a calmodulin-dependent system, it is suggested that physical or psychological stimuli induce an increase in the brain calcium level, and this increased calcium level in turn enhances dopamine synthesis in the brain. Subsequently, an increased dopamine level induces various physiological changes related to stress-dependent phenomena.