Jie Gao1, Can Chen1, Yuan Liu1, Yingyu Li1, Zaiyun Long1, He Wang1, Yundong Zhang2, Jianfeng Sui3, Yamin Wu1, Liangming Liu1, Ce Yang4. 1. State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, PR China. 2. Department of Neurosurgery, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Changjiang Zhilu, Daping, Chongqing, 400042, PR China. 3. Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, PR China. 4. State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, PR China. Electronic address: sepsismd@126.com.
Abstract
AIMS: Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated the increased neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus and abnormal hippocampal morphology after severe stress, which directly correlates to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aims to investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on intrusive memory of posttraumatic stress in rats, and to analyze the mechanism of regeneration/apoptosis balance in the hippocampal neurons. MAIN METHODS: The experimental rats received 20 inescapable electric foot shocks in an enclosed box for six times in three days. The rats were treated by intragastric administration of LBP (20mg/kg/day) for 3 days before stress in the stress plus prophylactic group, and for 28 days after stress in the stress plus therapeutic group. The emotion, intrusive memory-related behavior (freezing, open field, pain latency, spatial cognition), hippocampus cell morphology, and relation of neurogenesis and apoptosis in dental gyrus of the hippocampus were observed. The hippocampus volume was evaluated by stereology. Meanwhile, the neurogenesis and apoptosis were analyzed with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and terminal deoxylnucleotidyl transferase mediated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. KEY FINDINGS: The treatment of LBP in pre-stress and post-stress had obvious beneficial effect on the behaviors and neurogenesis. The stressed rats showed improvement of intrusive memory related cognition defect, alleviation of the apoptosis in the hippocampus and recovery for the neurogenesis, which was related to the hippocampus volume after LBP treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: LBP treatment might effectively improve the traumatic cognition defect induced by severe stress and be useful for the intrusive memory-related cognition recovery.
AIMS: Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated the increased neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus and abnormal hippocampal morphology after severe stress, which directly correlates to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aims to investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on intrusive memory of posttraumatic stress in rats, and to analyze the mechanism of regeneration/apoptosis balance in the hippocampal neurons. MAIN METHODS: The experimental rats received 20 inescapable electric foot shocks in an enclosed box for six times in three days. The rats were treated by intragastric administration of LBP (20mg/kg/day) for 3 days before stress in the stress plus prophylactic group, and for 28 days after stress in the stress plus therapeutic group. The emotion, intrusive memory-related behavior (freezing, open field, pain latency, spatial cognition), hippocampus cell morphology, and relation of neurogenesis and apoptosis in dental gyrus of the hippocampus were observed. The hippocampus volume was evaluated by stereology. Meanwhile, the neurogenesis and apoptosis were analyzed with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and terminal deoxylnucleotidyl transferase mediated-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. KEY FINDINGS: The treatment of LBP in pre-stress and post-stress had obvious beneficial effect on the behaviors and neurogenesis. The stressed rats showed improvement of intrusive memory related cognition defect, alleviation of the apoptosis in the hippocampus and recovery for the neurogenesis, which was related to the hippocampus volume after LBP treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: LBP treatment might effectively improve the traumatic cognition defect induced by severe stress and be useful for the intrusive memory-related cognition recovery.