Objective: To observe the effects of jieyuwan on neuroendocrine-immune of chronic unpredictable stress rats, for identifing its mechanism of action.
Method: Animals were randomly assigned to six groups: one non-stressed (control) group, one stressed group (CUS + vehicle) , three treatment groups (CUS + Jieyuwan 53, 106, 212 mg x kg(-1), respectively), and one group for imipramine (CUS + imipramine 10 mg x kg(-1)). We used the chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) test in rats to investigated the effects of chronic oral administration (21 days) of Jieyuwan and imipramine (ip) on the sucrose consumption, the relative weight of adrenal and thymus, the concentration of serum corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta measured by ELISA.
Result: Our results showed that Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to CUS exhibited increased adrenal weight, reduction in thymus weight, less sucrose consumption, and synchronized with higher serum corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta concentration. Chronic treatment with Jieyuwan (53, 106, 212 mg x kg(-1), po, 21 days) could improve locomotion of stressed rat sucrose consumption, turn over the high levels of serum corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta concentration.
Conclusion: The therapeutic actions of jieyuwan, in some degree, may be related with indirect or direct effects on HPA axis and immune system.