【Animal modeling】-The improvement and molecular mechanism of Banxia Xiexin decoction on learning and memory ability in aging rats

  Objective To study the effect of Banxia Xiexin Decoction (BXT) on the improvement of learning and memory ability and the mRNA expression of Ach, NE, DA, 5-HT receptors in the hippocampus of the aging rats by using D-galactose-induced aging rats as an animal model. The effect of BXT on improving the learning and memory ability of rats was explored.

  Methods Combined with the escape latency of rats in the Y-type water maze test, an aged rat model was established by injecting D-galactose; then the animals were divided into aged control group, Huperzine A group, middle-aged control group, and BXT low-dose group. Group, BXT medium dose group and BXT high dose group were administered by intragastric administration according to different groups. After continuous administration for 6 weeks, the improvement of learning and memory ability of rats was tested by Y-type water maze again, the expressions of Ach, NE, DA, 5-TH receptor mRNA and antibody were detected, and the pathological changes in the hippocampus were observed. Molecular mechanism of BXT improving learning and memory ability in aging rats.

  Results Compared with the aged control group, at 24h, 48h and 96h after training, each dose of BXT administration group could significantly shorten the escape latency of aged rats. HE staining of rat hippocampal tissue showed that compared with the aged control group, the damage of hippocampal neurons in the high-dose BXT group was improved, but no significant improvement was found in the BXT medium-dose and low-dose groups; immunohistochemical results showed that the BXT high-dose group did not significantly improve. Compared with the old control group, the vertebral cells in the group were more stained, arranged in a better density, and the cells were darker in color.

  Conclusion This study found that BXT can improve the learning and memory ability of aged rats, especially the improvement effect of high-dose BXT is the most obvious, which may be related to the increase of CHRM1, DRD2, HTRla, ADRA2a mRNA expressions in the hippocampus of aged model rats.