Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:623753. doi: 10.1155/2012/623753. Epub 2012 Dec 13.
The dysregulation of the serotonergic system has long been recognized as an important factor underlying the pathophysiology of PTSD. To date, SSRIs have already been established as the firstline pharmacotherapeutic agents for treating acute and chronic PTSD. However, SSRIs largely have several disadvantages which limit their utility. Our previous study has also shown that administration of the total flavonoids, isolated from the extract of Xiaobuxin-Tang (XBXT, mild mind-easing decoction), comprising four Chinese medicines including Haematitum, Flos Inulae, Folium Phyllostachydis Henonis, and Semen Sojae Preparatum, exerted significant antidepressant-like effect in chronically mildly stressed rats, possibly mediated by serotonergic activation. Since the central serotonergic dysfunction is an important and well-known cause mediating the pathophysiology of trauma-related symptoms in PTSD, it is reasonable to predict that flavonoids may exert therapeutic effects on PTSD in animal models. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the effect of flavonoids in alleviating the enhanced anxiety and fear response induced in two PTSD animal models. Ser, an SSRI, was administered as a positive control. Furthermore, the changes of brain monoaminergic neurotransmitters after chronic flavonoids administration have also been assessed in SPS-treated rats.
血清素能系统的失调长期以来被认为是 PTSD 病理生理学的重要因素。迄今为止，SSRIs 已被确立为治疗急性和慢性 PTSD 的一线药物治疗剂。然而，SSRIs 存在许多缺点，限制了其应用。我们之前的研究还表明，从小柴胡汤（XBXT，轻度安神汤）提取物中分离出的总黄酮，包括四种中药，包括磁石、旋覆花、淡竹叶和炒大豆，对慢性轻度应激大鼠具有显著的抗抑郁作用，可能通过血清素能激活介导。由于中枢血清素能功能障碍是介导 PTSD 中与创伤相关症状的病理生理学的重要且众所周知的原因，因此可以合理地预测黄酮类化合物可能对 PTSD 动物模型具有治疗作用。因此，本研究旨在研究黄酮类化合物对两种 PTSD 动物模型中增强的焦虑和恐惧反应的缓解作用。Ser，一种 SSRI，被用作阳性对照。此外，还评估了慢性黄酮类化合物给药后 SPS 处理大鼠脑单胺能神经递质的变化。
