Effects of Baobaole oral liquid on neuron excitability of feeding center in anorectic rats

Abstract

To investigate the effects of Baobaole oral liquid on neuronal excitability in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclear (VMN) in anorectic rats. The anorectic rat model was established by feeding with special prepared forage for a week, and then Baobaole oral liquid, a liquid extract of a compound traditional Chinese medicine for activating spleen, was administered once a day for 3 weeks. Finally, extracellular recording from LHA and VMN neurons in rats were made in order to characterize their responses to gastric vagal nerve stimulation and intravenous injection of glucose in the normal, untreated, and Baobaole-treated groups. There was no statistical difference in response characteristics of LHA neurons to gastric vagal stimulation among 3 groups. The duration of VMN neuron excitation response to gastric vagal nerve stimulation in the untreated group was significantly longer than that of the normal control group (P<0.01), while the required stimulation intensity was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Moreover, among the neurons responding to the gastric vagal stimulation in the untreated group, the number of glycemia-sensitive neurons decreased in LHA and increased in VMN (P<0.01). The gastric vagal stimulation induced neuron responses in LHA and VMN of the Baobaole-treated group were not significantly changed as compared with the normal control group (P<0.01), and neither were the intravenous injection of glucose induced responses. Baobaole oral liquid can modulate the sensitivity of LHA and VMN neurons to the peripheral signal and make the coordination between LHA and VMN neurons in order to improve the appetite of anorectic rats.