%0 Journal Article
%T Schisantherin A Exerts Sedative and Hypnotic Effects Through Regulating GABA and its Receptor in Mice and Rats
%A Chunmei Wang
%A He Li
%A Jiale Liu
%A Jianguang Chen
%A Jiaqi Gao
%A Jinghui Sun
%A Kuo Zhu
%A Mengyang Wang
%A Ning Li
%A Wei Sun
%A Zepeng Yu
%J Natural Product Communications
%@ 1555-9475
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1934578X19858165
%X Schisandra has been used to treat insomnia for hundreds of years in China. This study was aimed at proving the contribution of Schisantherin A (STA), the most abundant component in Schisandra, on sleeping, and uncover its mechanisms. Mouse autonomic activity and sleep tests were conducted for the behavioral examinations. The ¦Ã-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamic acid (Glu), and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the blood and/or brain tissues of mice and rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, and GABAA R¦Á1 and GABAA R¦Ã2 expressions in the brain tissues of rats were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. STA decreased the autonomic activities and sleep latency, increased the number of sleeping periods, sleep time, and duration in mice, showing a sedative and hypnotic effect. STA significantly elevated GABA, reduced Glu in the blood and brain, and increased GAD in the brain. STA upregulated the expressions of GABAA R¦Á1 and GABAA R¦Ã2 mRNA in the brain of rats. Thus, STA is an active component for sedative and hypnotic effects in Schisandra and these effects may be through its regulation of the GABA/Glu ratio, GAD, and GABAA expression in mice and rats
%K Schisandra
%K sleep
%K glutamic acid
%K glutamic acid decarboxylase
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1934578X19858165