Differential Effects of Saikosaponins A, B2, B4, C and D on Alcohol and Chocolate Self-Administration in Rats

Reducing effect of intragastrically administered saikosaponin A on alcohol and sucrose self-administration in rats

Saikosaponin A (SSA) is an active ingredient of the Asian medicinal herb, Bupleurum falcatum L. When administered via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route, SSA suppressed multiple addictive-like behaviours, including operant alcohol self-administration, in rodents. It is unknown whether these effects are retained after intragastric (i.g.) administration, a desirable prerequisite for a compound with therapeutic potential. To fill this gap, i.g. SSA (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) was tested in Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats trained to lever-respond for oral alcohol. SSA reduced lever-responding and amount of self-administered alcohol. However, when compared to i.p. SSA, i.g. SSA resulted to be markedly less potent and effective, suggestive of reduced bioavailability after i.g. treatment. Finally, and in agreement with previous data on the suppressing effect of i.p. SSA on behaviours motivated by highly palatable foods, i.g. SSA (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) reduced oral sucrose self-administration in a separate set of sP rats.

Suppressing effect of a saikosaponin-enriched extract of Bupleurum falcatum on alcohol and chocolate self-administration in rats

Recent studies demonstrated that saikosaponin (SS) A and other SSs extracted from Bupleurum falcatum L. (Apiaceae) roots abolished different behaviours motivated by drugs of abuse and palatable foods in rats. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of an SS-enriched extract fraction of B. falcatum roots on operant, oral self-administration of alcohol and chocolate in rats. To this end, female Sardinian alcohol-preferring and Wistar rats were trained to lever-respond for alcohol (15% v/v) and chocolate (5% w/v powdered Nesquik in water), respectively. Acute treatment with B. falcatum extract (0, 0.75, 1.5, and 3 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced, in a dose-related manner, both alcohol and chocolate self-administration. These data confirm the notion that B. falcatum extracts may be a valuable source of pharmacological agents with anti-addictive and anorectic potential. The use of experimental procedures with predictive validity for the human disease adds strength to the translational potential of these results.