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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2022 , Vol. 42 >Issue 1: 58 - 64

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2022.01.005

Research Articles

Effect of aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus on behavioral cognition of rats living at high altitude

  • Xing DU ,
  • Tianlong LIU ,
  • Wendi TAO ,
  • Maoxing LI ,
  • Xiaolin LI ,
  • Lan YAN
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  • 1 Gansu Institute for Drug Control, Lanzhou 730050, China
    2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 940th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Gansu Plateau Pharmaceutical Technology Center, Lanzhou 730050, China
LI Maoxing, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 940th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA, Lanzhou 730050, China; Gansu Plateau Pharmaceutical Technology Center, Lanzhou 730050, China. limaox2020@aliyun.com

Received date: 2021-02-25

  Accepted date: 2021-05-23

  Online published: 2021-07-07

Supported by

Top Medical Science and Technology Youth Cultivation Program(Study on the Mechanism of Cognitive Impairment at High Altitude and a Series of Target Compounds of Verbascoside Based on mTOR Signal Pathway)(16QNP055);Key Research and Development Program of Gansu Province(Preclinical Study on Rong-Zhi Granule, a New Drug to Improve the Efficiency of Working at High Altitude)(20YF3FA035);Emergency Medical Research Project of “Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia”(Study on the Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Effects of COVID-19 Based on Hypoxia Induced Cytokine Storm)(20yjky018);2020 Innovation Team Project of Central University(Innovation Team of Tibetan Medicine Modernization R & D)(31920200010)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus on cognitive ability of rats living at high altitude.

METHODS: Rats were exposed to a simulated high-altitude hypobaric hypoxia chamber. The behavior of rats was tested by eight-arm maze. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in hippocampus were measured. The expressions of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and cleaved capase-3 in hippocampus were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.

RESULTS: The behavioral cognitive ability of the hypoxic control group was significantly lower than that of the normoxic control group. Under hypoxic environment, after the administration of aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus, the behavioral cognitive ability of rats was significantly improved. In hippocampal tissue, the content of MDA and ROS were significantly decreased, while the content of GSH and activity of T-SOD in hippocampus were significantly increased. The mRNA expression of mTOR and P70S6K and the protein expression of p-mTOR were significantly increased; the mRNA expression of 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and the protein expression of phosphorylated-4E-BP1 (p-4E-BP1) and cleaved capase-3 were significantly decreased.

CONCLUSION: When the rats are exposed to high altitude hypoxia, the behavioral cognitive ability could be significantly reduced. Aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus can significantly improve cognitive function in rats under hypoxia. The potential mechanism is related to improving oxidative stress, reducing the accumulation of free radicals and metabolites, and activating mTOR signaling pathway.

Key words： hypoxia; cognition; Astragalus propinquus; oxidative stress; TOR serine-threonine kinases

Cite this article

Xing DU , Tianlong LIU , Wendi TAO , Maoxing LI , Xiaolin LI , Lan YAN . Effect of aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus on behavioral cognition of rats living at high altitude[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2022 , 42(1) : 58 -64 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2022.01.005

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