Bonnysci International Science & Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China.
Inner Mongolia Dairy Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hohhot, China.
Ann Palliat Med. 2021 Oct;10(10):11074-11082. doi: 10.21037/apm-21-2798.
γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a naturally occurring non-protein amino acid in the nervous system and has a wide range of physiological functions in the body. Walnut peptide (WP) contains high levels of arginine, aspartic acid, and glutamate, and has been shown to improve cognitive deficits and memory impairment in mice, while restoring antioxidant enzyme levels and reducing brain inflammatory mediators.
This study investigated the effects of GABA and WP, either alone or in combination, on sleep disturbances in mice. The pentobarbital-prolonged sleep test, pentobarbital-threshold sleep test, and barbital-induced sleep test were conducted to assess the effects of GABA and WP on sleep quality by gavage for 30 days as follows: GABA (102.25 mg/kg), WP (102.25 mg/kg), GABA (33.95, 102.25, 306.75 mg/kg)/WP (102.25 mg/kg) mixture. Furthermore, neurotransmitter tests were performed using mice brain tissue to investigate the possible mechanisms of GABA and WP on sleep status.
The results showed that the combined use of GABA and WP significantly increased sleep duration compared with single administration of either WP or GABA. Increasing doses of GABA in mice treated with combined GABA and WP elevated the sleep rate to 50.00%, 64.28%, and 64.28%, respectively, compared to mice treated with GABA alone (35.71%) or mice treated with WP alone (28.57%). In mice that received a combination of GABA and WP orally, the latency time was significantly decreased after 30 days compared to control mice (P<0.05). Additionally, in mice treated with GABA, WP, or the combination of GABA and WP, the concentrations of GABA and acetylcholine (Ach) in the brain were significantly elevated and the concentration of serotonin (5-HT) was decreased compared to untreated mice.
These results demonstrated that the combined administration of GABA and WP could prolong the sleep duration, increase sleep rate, and shorten the sleep latency more effectively than the administration of either GABA or WP alone. The mechanisms of action may be related to the regulation of neurotransmitters in the brain tissue by the combination of GABA and WP.
γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）是神经系统中一种天然存在的非蛋白氨基酸，在体内具有广泛的生理功能。核桃肽（WP）含有高水平的精氨酸、天冬氨酸和谷氨酸，已被证明可改善小鼠的认知缺陷和记忆障碍，同时恢复抗氧化酶水平并减少大脑炎症介质。
本研究探讨了 GABA 和 WP 单独或联合使用对小鼠睡眠障碍的影响。通过戊巴比妥延长睡眠试验、戊巴比妥阈下睡眠试验和巴比妥诱导睡眠试验，通过灌胃 30 天评估 GABA 和 WP 对睡眠质量的影响，如下所示：GABA（102.25mg/kg）、WP（102.25mg/kg）、GABA（33.95、102.25、306.75mg/kg）/WP（102.25mg/kg）混合物。此外，还使用小鼠脑组织进行神经递质测试，以研究 GABA 和 WP 对睡眠状态的可能作用机制。
结果表明，与单独使用 WP 或 GABA 相比，联合使用 GABA 和 WP 可显著增加睡眠时间。与单独使用 GABA（35.71%）或单独使用 WP（28.57%）的小鼠相比，用联合使用的 GABA 和 WP 处理的小鼠中 GABA 剂量增加分别将睡眠率提高至 50.00%、64.28%和 64.28%。用 GABA 和 WP 口服联合处理的小鼠的潜伏期时间在 30 天后与对照组相比显著降低（P<0.05）。此外，与未处理的小鼠相比，用 GABA、WP 或 GABA 和 WP 联合处理的小鼠大脑中的 GABA 和乙酰胆碱（Ach）浓度显著升高，而 5-羟色胺（5-HT）浓度降低。
这些结果表明，与单独使用 GABA 或 WP 相比，联合使用 GABA 和 WP 可更有效地延长睡眠时间、提高睡眠率并缩短睡眠潜伏期。作用机制可能与 GABA 和 WP 联合调节脑组织中的神经递质有关。
