Issue 5, 2020

Targets and underlying mechanisms related to the sedative and hypnotic activities of saponin extracts from semen Ziziphus jujube

Abstract

Semen Ziziphus jujube (SZJ) has been widely consumed because it is recognized as edible in China to treat insomnia disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets remain obscure. SZJ-I and SZJ-II with a saponin content of 52.10% and 75.20%, respectively, were extracted from SZJ. LC-MS analysis presented quite different chemical profiles of SZJ-I and SZJ-II. Mice with p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia were used to comparatively and systematically test the sedative-hypnotic activities of SZJ-I and SZJ-II. In vivo behavioral tests revealed that SZJ-I and SZJ-II significantly shortened the immobility time and potentiated sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep. SZJ-II with a higher saponin content showed greater potency than SZJ-I. SZJ-I and SZJ-II also protected against PCPA-triggered neuropathological damages in the brain. Concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NE), glutamate (Glu), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in plasma were significantly affected by SZJ-I and SZJ-II application. SZJ-I and SZJ-II also exhibited differential modulation of 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A (5-HT1A), 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT2A), GABAA receptor α2 (GABAARα2), GABAA receptor α3 (GABAARα3), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65/67, IL-6 and IL-1β expression in the hypothalamus and hippocampus. SZJ-I and SZJ-II might exert excellent sedative-hypnotic effects through multiple mechanisms that worked simultaneously. SZJ-I and especially SZJ-II are promising candidates for relieving insomnia.

Graphical abstract: Targets and underlying mechanisms related to the sedative and hypnotic activities of saponin extracts from semen Ziziphus jujube

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 Jan 2020
Accepted
16 Apr 2020
First published
30 Apr 2020

Food Funct., 2020,11, 3895-3903

Targets and underlying mechanisms related to the sedative and hypnotic activities of saponin extracts from semen Ziziphus jujube

C. Shen, L. Wan, J. Zhu and J. Jiang, Food Funct., 2020, 11, 3895 DOI: 10.1039/D0FO00098A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements