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The anxiolytic effects of Bai Le Mian capsule, a traditional Chinese hypnotic in mice

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Abstract

Bai Le Mian capsule (BLMC), which is composed of fifteen kinds of traditional Chinese Medicine, is a popular traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of insomnia with anxiety. This study was to investigate the anxiolytic effect of BLMC in mice. BLMC (81, 162, and 325 mg/kg, i.g.) was given once or consecutively for 2 weeks, and anxiety behaviors were tested by the elevated plus maze, open field, and light/dark box, in normal mice and anxious model mice by meta-chlorophenyl-piperazine, a compound with known anxiogenic actions. In normal mice, single administration of BLMC at 325 mg/kg prolonged the time spent in central area by 2.1-fold in open-field test. Repeated administration once a day for 2 weeks, BLMC at 325 mg/kg increased the time spent in central area, open arms and light box by 2.8-, 2.0-, and 1.7-fold, respectively. Similarly, in anxious model mice, single treatment of BLMC at 325 mg/kg increased more time in the open arms by 2.1-fold. Consecutive administration for 2 weeks, BLMC at 325 mg/kg increased the time spent in open arms and light box by 2.3- and 2.1-fold. Immunohistochemical study showed that mCPP increased c-Fos expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis by 57% and 60%, and the mCPP-induced c-Fos expression could be reversed by single administration of BLMC. These results indicate that BLMC is an effective treatment for anxiety in mice.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Huan-Xin Sun for excellent technical support. This study was supported in part by grants-in-aid for scientific research from the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB856401), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81420108015, 31530035, 31671099, 31471064, 31571103, 81671318, and 31421091).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Tian-Xiao Wang, Yu-Er Wu, Wei Xu, Wan-Kun Gong, Jian Ni, Wei-Min Qu & Zhi-Li Huang

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Experimental protocols were approved by the Medical Experimental Animal Administrative Committee of Fudan University.

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Wang, TX., Wu, YE., Xu, W. et al. The anxiolytic effects of Bai Le Mian capsule, a traditional Chinese hypnotic in mice. Sleep Biol. Rhythms 17, 191–201 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41105-018-00199-5

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