Previous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) promotes recovery of motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). However the mechanisms are not completely understood. Clinically, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a critical target for deep brain stimulation treatment of PD, and vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1) plays an important role in the modulation of glutamate in the STN derived from the cortex. In this study, a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat model of PD was treated with 100 Hz EA for 4 weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) showed that EA treatment had no effect on TH expression in the ipsilateral striatum or substantia nigra pars compacta, though it alleviated several of the parkinsonian motor symptoms. Compared with the hemi-parkinsonian rats without EA treatment, the 100 Hz EA treatment significantly decreased apomorphine-induced rotation and increased the latency in the Rotarod test. Notably, the EA treatment reversed the 6-OHDA-induced down-regulation of VGluT1 in the STN. The results demonstrated that EA alleviated motor symptoms and up-regulated VGluT1 in the ipsilateral STN of hemi-parkinsonian rats, suggesting that up-regulation of VGluT1 in the STN may be related to the effects of EA on parkinsonian motor symptoms via restoration of function in the cortico-STN pathway.
Adrenergic Agents ; toxicity ; Animals ; Apomorphine ; pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dopamine Agonists ; pharmacology ; Electroacupuncture ; methods ; Functional Laterality ; drug effects ; Male ; Medial Forebrain Bundle ; injuries ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; physiology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidopamine ; toxicity ; Parkinson Disease, Secondary ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Subthalamic Nucleus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 ; metabolism

Recent studies have shown that the chemokine receptor CXCR3 and its ligand CXCL10 in the dorsal root ganglion mediate itch in experimental allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). CXCR3 in the spinal cord also contributes to the maintenance of neuropathic pain. However, whether spinal CXCR3 is involved in acute or chronic itch remains unclear. Here, we report that Cxcr3 mice showed normal scratching in acute itch models but reduced scratching in chronic itch models of dry skin and ACD. In contrast, both formalin-induced acute pain and complete Freund's adjuvant-induced chronic inflammatory pain were reduced in Cxcr3 mice. In addition, the expression of CXCR3 and CXCL10 was increased in the spinal cord in the dry skin model induced by acetone and diethyl ether followed by water (AEW). Intrathecal injection of a CXCR3 antagonist alleviated AEW-induced itch. Furthermore, touch-elicited itch (alloknesis) after compound 48/80 or AEW treatment was suppressed in Cxcr3 mice. Finally, AEW-induced astrocyte activation was inhibited in Cxcr3 mice. Taken together, these data suggest that spinal CXCR3 mediates chronic itch and alloknesis, and targeting CXCR3 may provide effective treatment for chronic pruritus.
Acetamides ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Chemokine CXCL10 ; metabolism ; Chloroquine ; toxicity ; Chronic Disease ; Cyclopropanes ; adverse effects ; Dehydration ; complications ; Dinitrofluorobenzene ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Formaldehyde ; toxicity ; Freund's Adjuvant ; toxicity ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Pain ; chemically induced ; Pruritus ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Pyrimidines ; therapeutic use ; Receptors, CXCR3 ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Skin ; pathology ; Spinal Cord ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Time Factors ; p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine ; toxicity

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of baicalin on the behavioral characteristics of rats with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to provide a basis for further research on baicalin in the treatment of ADHD.

METHODSA total of 40 SHR rats were randomly divided into model group, methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose baicalin groups, with 8 rats in each group. Eight WKY rats were selected as normal control group. The rats in the MPH group (0.07 mg/mL) and the low- (3.33 mg/mL), medium- (6.67 mg/mL), and high-dose (10 mg/mL) baicalin groups were given the corresponding drugs (1.5 mL/100 g) by gavage twice a day, and those in the normal control group and the model group were given an equal volume of normal saline by gavage twice a day. The course of treatment was 4 weeks for all groups. The open field test was performed to observe total moving distance and average moving speed on day 0 of experiment and at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after gavage and to evaluate the control effects of drugs on hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. The Morris water maze test was used to observe the latency, time spent in the target quadrant, and number of platform crossings and to evaluate the effects of drugs on attention.

RESULTSThe open field test showed that the model group and the drug treatment groups had a significantly longer total moving distance and a significantly higher average moving speed than the normal control group on day 0 (P<0.05). On day 7, the MPH group had significant reductions in total moving distance and average moving speed compared with the model group (P<0.05). On day 14, the MPH group and the high-dose baicalin group had significant reductions in total moving distance and average moving speed compared with the model group (P<0.05). The data on days 21 and 28 showed that compared with the model group, the low-, medium-, and high-dose baicalin groups had gradual reductions in total moving distance and average moving speed (P<0.05). The water maze test showed that compared with the model group, the MPH group and the medium- and high-dose baicalin groups had a significantly longer time spent in the target quadrant (P<0.05), and the MPH group and the high-dose baicalin group had a significantly higher proportion of the moving distance in the target quadrant in total moving distance (P<0.05). The high-dose baicalin group had the highest number of platform crossings among all groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBoth baicalin and MPH can regulate the motor ability and learning and memory abilities of SHR rats with ADHD and thus control the core symptoms of ADHD, i.e., hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and inattention. Baicalin exerts its effect in a dose-dependent manner, and high-dose baicalin has the most significant effect, but compared with MPH, it needs a longer time to play its therapeutic effect.

Animals ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Flavonoids ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of embryonic lead exposure on motor function and balance ability in offspring rats and the possible mechanisms.

METHODSAn animal model of embryonic lead exposure was prepared with the use of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats freely drinking 0.1% (low-dose group, LG) or 0.2% (high-dose group, HG) lead acetate solution. A normal control group (NG) was also set. The male offspring rats of these pregnant rats were included in the study, consisting of 12 rats in the NG group, 10 rats in the LG group, and 9 rats in the HG group. The offspring rats' motor function and balance ability were evaluated using body turning test and coat hanger test. Eight rats were randomly selected from each group, and immunohistochemistry and Timm's staining were employed to measure the expression of c-Fos and mossy fiber sprouting (MFS) in the hippocampus.

RESULTSThe HG group had a significantly longer body turning time than the NG and LG groups (P<0.05), and the LG group had a significantly longer body turning time than the NG group (P<0.05). The HG group had a significantly lower score of balance ability than the NG and LG groups (P<0.05), and the LG group had a significantly lower score of balance ability than the NG group (P<0.05). The area percentage of c-Fos-positive neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region was significantly higher in the HG group than in the other two groups (P<0.05), and it was significantly higher in the LG group than in the NG group (P<0.05). The semi-quantitative scores of MFS in the hippocampal CA3 region and dentate gyrus were significantly higher in the HG group than in the other two groups (P<0.05), and they were significantly higher in the LG group than in the NG group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSEmbryonic lead exposure could impair the offspring rats' motor function and balance ability. These changes may be related to increased c-Fos expression in the hippocampal CA3 region and abnormal MFS in the hippocampal CA3 region and dentate gyrus.

Animals ; Female ; Fetus ; drug effects ; Hippocampus ; chemistry ; drug effects ; Lead ; toxicity ; Male ; Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal ; drug effects ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Postural Balance ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

PURPOSE: Reduced brain glucose metabolism and basal forebrain cholinergic neuron degeneration are common features of Alzheimer's disease and have been correlated with memory function. Although regions representing glucose hypometabolism in patients with Alzheimer's disease are targets of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, the interaction between cholinergic denervation and glucose hypometabolism is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate glucose metabolism changes caused by cholinergic deficits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We lesioned basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in rats using 192 immunoglobulin G-saporin. After 3 weeks, lesioned animals underwent water maze testing or were analyzed by 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography. RESULTS: During water maze probe testing, performance of the lesioned group decreased with respect to time spent in the target quadrant and platform zone. Cingulate cortex glucose metabolism in the lesioned group decreased, compared with the normal group. Additionally, acetylcholinesterase activity and glutamate decarboxylase 65/67 expression declined in the cingulate cortex. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that spatial memory impairment in animals with selective basal forebrain cholinergic neuron damage is associated with a functional decline in the GABAergic and cholinergic system associated with cingulate cortex glucose hypometabolism.
Acetylcholine/metabolism ; Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*pharmacology ; Basal Forebrain/*drug effects/metabolism ; Cholinergic Agents/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Cholinergic Neurons/*drug effects/metabolism ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; GABAergic Neurons/*drug effects/metabolism ; Glucose/*metabolism ; Gyrus Cinguli/*drug effects/metabolism ; Humans ; Injections ; Maze Learning ; Motor Activity/physiology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Rats ; Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 1/*pharmacology

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate the effect of Uhwang Chungsim Won [UC, Niuhuang Qingxin Pill ()] on the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal response to a motor stimulation task using a hand grasping paradigm.

METHODSTen healthy right-handed male volunteers were recruited. Their BOLD fMRI signal characteristics during hand grasping were determined before and 1 h after consuming UC.

RESULTSWith the administration of UC, BOLD responses to the right hand motor task showed a decrease in both hemispheres including the right cerebellar culmen, right and left medial frontal gyrus, right parahippocampal gyrus, right and left sublobar insula, right and left posterior cingulate, left precuneus, and right precentral gyrus. Decreased BOLD responses to the left hand motor task were shown in the right lingual gyrus, right cerebellar culmen, left superior temporal gyrus, right and left middle frontal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus after UC administration. Increased BOLD responses to the left hand motor task were shown in the left and right posterior cingulate, while there was no increased response to the right hand motor task after UC administration.

CONCLUSIONSUC administration significantly decreased fMRI BOLD signal responses to hand grasping in most of the brain areas including the primary motor cortex, but it is not clear whether these decreased responses were caused by a decrease in neuronal activities or by an increase in cerebral blood flow due to the cerebral vasodilatory effects of UC. Further studies using positron emission tomography or single photon emission computed tomography are needed to fully elucidate these findings.

Adult ; Brain Mapping ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Hand ; physiology ; Hand Strength ; physiology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; physiology ; Oxygen ; blood ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Task Performance and Analysis

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to assess the effects of yttrium nitrate on neurobehavioral development in Sprague-Dawley rats.

METHODSDams were orally exposed to 0, 5, 15, or 45 mg/kg daily of yttrium nitrate from gestation day (GD) 6 to postnatal day (PND) 21. Body weight and food consumption were monitored weekly. Neurobehavior was assessed by developmental landmarks and reflexes, motor activity, hot plate, Rota-rod and cognitive tests. Additionally, brain weights were measured on PND 21 and 70.

RESULTSNo significant difference was noted among all groups for maternal body weight and food consumption. All yttrium-exposed offspring showed an increase in body weight on PND 21; however, no significant difference in body weight for exposed pups versus controls was observed 2 weeks or more after the yttrium solution was discontinued. The groups given 5 mg/kg daily decreased significantly in the duration of female forelime grip strength and ambulation on PND 13. There was no significant difference between yttrium-exposed offspring and controls with respect to other behavioral ontogeny parameters and postnatal behavioral test results.

CONCLUSIONExposure of rats to yttrium nitrate in concentrations up to 45 mg/kg daily had no adverse effects on their neurobehavioral development.

Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Environmental Pollutants ; toxicity ; Female ; Food Safety ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Pain Measurement ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Risk Assessment ; Rotarod Performance Test ; Yttrium ; toxicity

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of orexin-A and orexin-1 receptor (OX1R) antagonist injected into the fourth ventricle of rats on food-intake and spontaneous physical activity (SPA). Obese rat model was induced by high fat diet. Different doses of orexin-A or SB334867, an OX1R antagonist, were injected into the fourth ventricle of obese and normal rats respectively. SPA and food intake were monitored for 4 h after injection in both light and dark environment. In the light measurement cycle, different doses of orexin-A significantly stimulated feeding and SPA in all injected rats, and the animals' responses showed a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05-0.01), and compared with those of normal rats, the orexin-A induced food intake and SPA were more pronounced in obese rats. In the dark measurement cycle, different doses of orexin-A had no obvious effect on food intake and SPA in both normal and obese rats (P > 0.05). In the light cycle, different doses of SB334867 significantly decreased food intake and SPA in all rats during 0-2 h and 2-4 h after injection (P < 0.05), but the food intake and SPA in obese rats were significantly greater than those of normal rats. In the dark cycle, different doses of SB334867 showed no obvious effect on food intake and SPA of normal and obese rats (P > 0.05). These results suggest that fourth cerebral ventricle nuclei may be one target for orexin-A and light condition may play an important role in orexin-A and OX1R physiological functional processes.
Animals ; Benzoxazoles ; pharmacology ; Diet, High-Fat ; Eating ; drug effects ; Fourth Ventricle ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Obesity ; Orexin Receptor Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Orexin Receptors ; Orexins ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Urea ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

Animals ; Anticonvulsants ; pharmacology ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Pentylenetetrazole ; pharmacology ; Valproic Acid ; pharmacology ; Zebrafish

OBJECTIVETo discuss the protective effect of alkaloids from Piper longum (PLA) in rat dopaminergic neuron injury of 6-OHDA-induced Parkinson's disease and its possible mechanism.

METHODThe rat PD model was established by injecting 6-OHDA into the unilateral striatum with a brain solid positioner. The PD rats were divided into the PLA group (50 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), the madorpa group (50 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and the model group, with 15 rats in each group. All of the rats were orally given drugs once a day for 6 weeks. Meanwhile, other 15 rats were randomly selected as the sham operation group, and only injected with normal saline in the unilateral striatum. The behavioral changes were observed with the apomorphine (APO)-induced rotation and rotary rod tests. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in rat substantia nigra and the density of TH-positive fibers in striatum were detected by tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. The content of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in rat substantia nigra and striatum were measured by the spectrophotometric method.

RESULTAfter being induced by APO, PD rats showed obvious rotation behaviors, with decreased time stay on rotary rod and significant reduction in the number of TH-positive cells in sustantia nigra and the density of TH-positive fibers in striatum. The activities of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, the content of GSH and the total antioxidant capacity significantly decreased, whereas the activities of NOS and the content of MDA, NO significantly increased. PLA could significantly improve the behavioral abnormality of PD rats and increase the number of TH-positive cells in sustantia nigra and the density of TH-positive fibers in striatum. It could up-regulate the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, the content of GSH and the total antioxidant capacity, and decrease the content of NOS and the content of MDA, NO.

CONCLUSIONAlkaloids from P. longum shows the protective effect in substantia nigra cells of 6-OHDA-induced PD model rats. Its mechanism may be related with their antioxidant activity.

Administration, Oral ; Alkaloids ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Apomorphine ; pharmacology ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Dopamine Agonists ; pharmacology ; Dopaminergic Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Neostriatum ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Oxidopamine ; Parkinson Disease, Secondary ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Piper ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Substantia Nigra ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase ; metabolism