The Journal of Korean Medicine (대한한의학회지)

The Society of Korean Medicine (대한한의학회)
권호 표지

Effects of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix on the functional recovery and expression of BDNF and c-Fos after sciatic crushed nerve injury in rats

  • Cho, Hyun-Chol (Department of Oriental Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyungwon University) ;
  • Song, Yun-Kyung (Department of Oriental Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyungwon University) ;
  • Lim, Hyung-Ho (Department of Oriental Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyungwon University)
  • Published : 2009.05.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Background : Peripheral nerve injuries are a commonly encountered clinical problem and often result in a chronic pain and severe functional deficits. Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix (G. M. Radix) on the pain control and the recovery of the locomotor function that results from the sciatic crushed nerve injury in rats. Method : Using rats, we crushed their sciatic nerve, and then orally administered the aqueous extract of G. M. Radix. The effects of G. M. Radix on the recovery locomotor function were investigated by walking track analysis. The effects of G. M. Radix on pain control were investigated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the sciatic nerve, and c-Fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG). Result : G. M. RADIX facilitates motor function from the locomotor deficit, and thereby increased BDNF expression and suppressed painful stimuli in the PVN and vlPAG after sciatic crushed nerve injury. Conclusion : It is suggested that G. M. Radix might aid recovery locomotor function and control pain after sciatic crushed nerve injury. Further studies on identifying specific the component in G.M. Radix associated with enhanced neural activity in the peripheral nerve injury may be helpful to develop therapeutic strategies for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

Keywords

References

  1. Irving GA. Contemporary assessment and management of neuropathic pain. Neurology. 2005;64:S21-7.
  2. Bervar M. Video analysis of standing--an alternative footprint analysis to assess functional loss following injury to the rat sciatic nerve. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 2000;102:109-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0270(00)00281-8
  3. de Medinaceli L, Freed WJ, Wyatt RJ. An index of the functional condition of rat sciatic nerve based on measurements made from walking tracks. Experimental Neurology. 1982;77:634-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-4886(82)90234-5
  4. Bain JR, Mackinnon SE, Hunter DA. Functional evaluation of complete sciatic, peroneal, and posterior tibial nerve lesions in the rat. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 1989;83:129-38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006534-198901000-00024
  5. Huang EJ, Reichardt LF. Neurotrophins: Roles in neuronal development and function. Annual Review of Neuroscience. 2001;24:677-736. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.neuro.24.1.677
  6. Snider WD. Functions of the neurotrophins during nervous system development: What the knockouts are teaching us. Cell. 1994;77:627-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(94)90048-5
  7. Terenghi G. Peripheral nerve regeneration and neurotrophic factors. Journal of Anatomy. 1999;194(1):1-14. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-7580.1999.19410001.x
  8. Pezet S, Malcangio M, McMahon SB. BDNF: A neuromodulator in nociceptive pathways? Brain Research Reviews. 2002;40:240-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0173(02)00206-0
  9. Lee HH, Kim H, Lee JW, Kim YS, Yang HY, Chang HK, et al. Maternal swimming during pregnancy enhances short-term memory and neurogenesis in the hippocampus of rat pups. Brain & Development. 2006;28:147-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.braindev.2005.05.007
  10. Jee YS, Ko IG, Sung YH, Lee JW, Kim YS, Kim SE, et al. Effects of treadmill exercise on memory and c-Fos expression in the hippocampus of the rats with intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin. Neuroscience Letters. 2008;443:188-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.07.078
  11. Liu GZ, Xu QP, Wang T. The essentials of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. 1st ed. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. 2003:82-3.
  12. Tang W, Eisenbrand G. Chinese drugs of plant origin, chemistry, pharmacology, and use in traditional and modern medicine. 3th ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1992:549-553
  13. Yu F, Li R, Wang R. Inhibitory effects of the gentiana macrophylla (gentianaceae) extract on rheumatoid arthritis of rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2004;95:77-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2004.06.025
  14. Kim SJ, Lee EJ, Kim HK, Song BK. Effects of Gentiana macrophylla on Immune Response in the Collagen induced Arthritis. Journal of Korean Oriental Medicine. 1998;19:368-84.
  15. Kwak WJ, Kim JH, Ryu KH, Cho YB, Jeon SD, Moon CK. Effects of gentianine on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2005;28:750-3. https://doi.org/10.1248/bpb.28.750
  16. De Koning P, Brakkee JH, Gispen WH. Methods for producing a reproducible crush in the sciatic and tibial nerve of the rat and rapid and precise testing of return of sensory function. Beneficial effects of melanocortins. Journal of the neurological sciences. 1986;74:237-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-510X(86)90109-7
  17. Byun YH, Lee MH, Kim SS, Kim H, Chang HK, Lee TH, et al. Treadmill running promotes functional recovery and decreases brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression following sciatic crushed nerve injury in rats. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2005;45:222-228.
  18. Jee YS, Ko IG, Sung YH, Lee JW, Kim YS, Kim SE, et al. Effects of treadmill exercise on memory and c-Fos expression in the hippocampus of rats with intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin. Neuroscience Letters. 2008;443:188-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.07.078
  19. Bennett GJ, Xie YK. A peripheral mononeuropathy in rat that produces disorders of pain sensations like those seen in man. Pain. 1998;33:87-107.
  20. Meyer M, Matsuoka I, Wetmore C, Olson L, Thoenen H. Enhanced synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the lesioned peripheral nerve: Different mechanisms are responsible for the regulation of BDNF and NGF mRNA. Journal of Cell Biology. 1992;119:45-54. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.119.1.45
  21. Funakoshi H, Frisen J, Barbany G, Timmusk T, Zachrisson O, Verge VM, et al. Differential expression of mRNAs for neurotrophins and their receptors after axotomy of the sciatic nerve. Journal of Cell Biology. 1993;123:455-65. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.123.2.455
  22. Fu SY, Gordon T. The cellular and molecular basis of peripheral nerve regeneration. Molecular Neurobiology. 1997;14:67-116. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02740621
  23. Gordon T, Sulaiman O, Boyd JG. Experimental strategies to promote functional recovery after peripheral nerve injuries. Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System. 2003;8:236-250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1085-9489.2003.03029.x
  24. Labrador RO, Buti M, Navarro X. Influence of collagen and laminin gels concentration on nerve regeneration after resection and tube repair. Experimental Neurology. 1998;149:243-52. https://doi.org/10.1006/exnr.1997.6650
  25. Al-Majed AA, Neumann CM, Brushart TM, Gordon T. Brief electrical stimulation promotes the speed and accuracy of motor axonal regeneration. Journal of Neuroscience. 2000;20:2602-8.
  26. Wang Y, Lou Z. A review on the studies of the Chinese herb qinjiao. Chinese Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 1987;22:153-9.
  27. Yang S. The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica. Boulder: Blue Poppy Press. 1998;48:167-8.
  28. Varejao AS, Cabrita AM, Geuna S, Melo-Pinto P, Filipe VM, Gramsbergen A, et al. Toe out angle: A functional index for the evaluation of sciatic nerve recovery in the rat model. Experimental Neurology. 2003;183:695-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-4886(03)00208-5
  29. Vogelaar CF, Vrinten DH, Hoekman MF, Brakkee JH, Burbach JP, Hamers FP. Sciatic nerve regeneration in mice and rats: Recovery of sensory innervation is followed by a slowly retreating neuropathic pain-like syndrome. Brain Research. 2004;1027:67-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2004.08.036
  30. Theodosiou M, Rush RA, Zhou XF, Hu D, Walker JS, Tracey DJ. Hyperalgesia due to nerve damage: Role of nerve growth factor. Pain. 1999;81:245-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3959(99)00018-4
  31. Zhang JY, Luo XG, Xian CJ, Liu ZH, Zhou XF. Endogenous BDNF is required for myelination and regeneration of injured sciatic nerve in rodents. European Journal of Neuroscience. 2000 ;12:4171-80.
  32. Vogelin E, Baker JM, Gates J, Dixit V, Constantinescu MA, Jones NF. Effects of local continuous release of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on peripheral nerve regeneration in a rat model. Experimental Neurology. 2006;199:348-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2005.12.029
  33. Nishimori T, Ikeda T, Terayama R, Ishida Y, Nakamura T, Otahara N. Effect of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists on Fos-like immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn following transection of the rat sciatic nerve. Brain Research. 2002;934:81-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(02)02369-7
  34. Narita M, Ozaki S, Narita M, Ise Y, Yajima Y, Suzuki T. Change in the expression of c-Fos in the rat brain following sciatic nerve ligation. Neuroscience Letters. 2003;352:231-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2003.08.052
  35. Bomholt SF, Mikkelsen JD, Blackburn-Munro G. Normal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis function in a rat model of peripheral neuropathic pain. Brain Research. 2005;1044:216-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2005.03.005
  36. Sandkuhler J. The organization and function of endogenous antinociceptive systems. Progress in Neurobiology. 1996;50:49-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-0082(96)00031-7