Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100094, China.
Department of TCM, Beijing Shijitan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing 100038, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:587260. doi: 10.1155/2013/587260. Epub 2013 Nov 20.
There are few studies on the neuropharmacological properties of asparagus, which was applied in Chinese traditional medicine as a tonic and heat-clearing agent. The present study was designed to investigate the anxiolytic-like activity of the aqueous extract of asparagus stem (AEAS) using elevated plus maze (EPM) and Vogel conflict tests (VCT) in mice. AEAS significantly increased the percentage of time spent in open arms in EPM, when compared with control group. In the Vogel conflict drinking test, the numbers of punished licks increased to 177% and 174% by the treatment of AEAS at the doses of 1.5 and 3.0 g/kg (250 and 500 mg sarsasapogenin per kilogram of body weight), compared with control group. The serum cortisol level decreased significantly, at the same time. In conclusion, these findings indicated that the aqueous extract of asparagus stem exhibited a strong anxiolytic-like effect at dose of 1.5 and 3.0 g/kg (250 and 500 mg sarsasapogenin per kilogram of body weight) in experimental models of anxiety and may be considered an alternative approach for the management of anxiety disorder.
关于天门冬的神经药理学特性的研究较少，天门冬在传统中药中被用作滋补和清热剂。本研究旨在通过高架十字迷宫（EPM）和Vogel 冲突测试（VCT）研究天门冬茎水提物（AEAS）的抗焦虑样活性。与对照组相比，AEAS 显著增加了 EPM 中开放臂的时间百分比。在 Vogel 冲突饮水试验中，AEAS 以 1.5 和 3.0g/kg（250 和 500mg 齐墩果酸/公斤体重）的剂量处理后，受罚舔的次数分别增加到 177%和 174%，与对照组相比。同时，血清皮质醇水平显著降低。综上所述，这些发现表明，在焦虑症的实验模型中，天门冬茎的水提物在 1.5 和 3.0g/kg（250 和 500mg 齐墩果酸/公斤体重）的剂量下表现出强烈的抗焦虑样作用，可被认为是治疗焦虑症的一种替代方法。
