• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-52
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• 2002

The present experiments were designed to study the influence of Baekgumhwan on immune function of ICR mice under stress condition. Baekgumhwan was orally administered to the mice for 15days. on the 11th day the mice subjected to electric footshock for 5days(2 session a day, 11 footshocks a 31 min-session). B/T cell populations in splenocytes were studied by FACS analysis and cytokines($IFN-{\gamma}$ rand IL-10) production of the mouse splenocytes treated with PHA were studied by sandwich ELISA assay on the 15th day. The results were as follows. 1. After electric footshock, mice became sluggish and crowded to one side of the cage. Increased B/T cell populations in splenocytes were observed. These results confirm that electric footshock caused stress inducing immunological and behavioral changes in ICR mice. 2. Baekgumhwan administration without stress increase B cell populations in splenocytes, but T cell populations and cytokines($IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-10) production of the mouse splenocytes treated with PHA maintain as similar levels as in the normal group. 3. Baekgumhwan administration with stress significantly antagonized the effect of electric footshock on behavior, increased B cell populations in splenocytes, so maintain as similar levels as in the normal group. cytokines($IFN-{\gamma}$ rand IL-10) production of the mouse splenocytes treated with PHA maintain as similar levels as in the normal group and T cell populations in splenocytes were increased as stress control.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 1996

The present experiment was designed to investigate the effects of behavioral, response to immune function in response to electric footshock in mice. Mice were subjected to electric footshock for 3 days(two sessions a day, 11 times of shock for about 31 minutes a session). The humoral immune response was measured using mice immunized with rat RBC. The cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated by contact hypersensitivity to 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene(DNFB) and by phytohemagglutin(PHA)-stimulated splenocytes proliferation assay. In stressed group, electric footshock suppressed significantly anti-rat RBC antibody production(p<0.05), but enhanced significantly $T_{48}$ relative to $T_{24}$ in contact hypersenstivry (P<.01) and T-cell proliferation response(P<.05) by PHA stimulation elative to control group. T-cell proliferation response by PHA stimulation was significantly correlated to the movement than the sensitivity and coping behavior in the mouse, in response to the electric footshock. These data supper the importance of behavioral response in stress-induced changes of immune functions.

• The Journal of Dong Guk Oriental Medicine
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• v.9
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• pp.51-71
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• 2000

The present experiments were designed to study the influence of WalgookwhanhabBojoongikgitang on immune functions of Balb/c mice under stress condition. WalgookwhanhabBojoongikgitang was orally administered to the mice for 15 days. On the 10th day the mice were immunized with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and then subjected to electric footshock for 5 days (2 sessions a day, 11 footshocks a 31 min-session). The immune responses to SRBC were determined by means of hemagglutination and BIT cell populations in the spleen were studied by FACS analysis on the 16th day. The results were as follows. 1. After electric footshock, IDlce became sluggish and crowded to one side of the cage. Increased antibody titer for SRBC, increased B cell population, and decreased T cell population in the spleen were also observed. These results confirm that electric footshock caused stress inducing immunological and behavioral changes in Balblc mice. 2. Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang administration significantly antagonized the effect of electric footshock on the antibody titer for SRBC. As a result, antibody titers for SRBC in the mice treated with Walgookwhanga-Bojoongikgitang were maintained at the similar levels as those of control group mice even after the electric foots hock. 3. Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang administration also antagonized the effect of electric footshock on the BIT populations in spleen. As a result, Band T populations in the mice treated with Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang were maintained at the similar levels as in the control group mice even after the electric footshock. Taken together, Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang seem to help Balb/c mIce to maintain their humoral immune response and immune cell populations at a normal range under the stress conditions, suggesting its possible therapeutic use as a immune function modulator.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 2008

The effects of the ethanol extracts from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GP extracts) on body weights, grip strengths, endurances and catecholamine levels after electric footshock (EF) stress in mice and rats were investigated. The animals were treated with GP extracts (50 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 21 days before exposure to EF (duration and interval 10 sec for 3 min, 2 mA) once a day. The increases in body weights were delayed by 13.1% of the control levels by EF-induced stress in mice, which were recovered to 24.1% of the control levels in GP extract-treated groups. The grip strengths were significantly decreased by EF stress in mice and the EF-stressed groups treated with GP extracts increased grip strengths to 115.2% compared to control levels. The endurance times by forced swimming, which reduced significantly by EF stress, were also maintained similar to control levels by GP extracts in rats. In addition, the levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine in serum and brain, and dopamine in brain were significantly increased to 17.5-95.0% of the control levels after exposure of EF stress in mice. However, EF stressinduced increases in norepinephrine and epinephrine in serum were reduced to 17.1-17.3% of the control levels by treatments of GP extracts, and those in dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine in brain were also reduced to 5.0-19.5%. These results suggest that GP extracts showed the protective effects on EF stress-induced physiological functions and can be developed as the promising anti-stress agents.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.337-341
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• 2013

The effects of gypenosides (GPS) on electric footshock (EF)-induced acute stress in mice were investigated. Mice were treated orally with GPS (30-400 mg/kg) once a day for 5 days. After 2 days of GPS treatment, mice were exposed to EF stimuli (intensity, 2 mA; interval, 10 s; duration, 3 min) for acute stress for 3 days. Spontaneous locomotor activity was increased by acute EF stress, which was decreased by treatment with GPS (100 and 400 mg/kg). In addition, the increased levels of dopamine and serotonin by acute EF stress in the brain were reduced by treatment with GPS (100 and 400 mg/kg). The serum levels of corticosterone increased by acute EF stress were also reduced by GPS (100 and 400 mg/kg). These results suggest that GPS shows the ameliorating effects on acute EF stress by modulating the activity of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, and the serum levels of corticosterone. Clinical trials of GPS need to be conducted further so as to develop promising anti-stress agents.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.6
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• pp.677-685
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• 1998

To investigate the effects of neonatal stress on behavior and neurochemistry, rats were exposed to the footshock stress on postnatal day (PND) 14 or PNDs 14 and 21. Rats were exposed to uncontrollable electric shocks delivered to the floor with a constant current (0.8 mA) for 5 sec period. Daily sessions consisted of 60 trials on a random time schedule with an average of 55 sec. The first exposure to footshocks on PND 14 decreased body weight gain for 1 day. However, the second exposure to footshocks on PND 21 did not affect body weight gain. Exploratory activity was measured by exposing a rat to a novel environment 24 h after experience of footshocks. Similar to the body weight changes, a decreased activity was noted after the first exposure to footshocks, while no changed activity was noted after the second exposure to footshocks. However, the Bmax value of $5-HT_{2A/2C}$ receptors in the cortex decreased by the second exposure to footshocks, but not by the first exposure to footshocks. Moreover, an autoradiographic study revealed that the density of $[^3H]dexamethasone$ binding in hippocampus decreased in rats exposed to footshocks 4 times during PND $14{\sim}20.$ These results suggest that the uncontrollable footshock stress changes 5-hydroxytryptamine and glucocorticoid receptor systems acutely and that the repeated exposure to the same stress may not elicit behavioral alterations by the compensatory activity of young brain although changes in some neurochemistry exist.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2011

The effects of herbal ethanol extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GP extract) on chronic stress-induced anxiety in mice were investigated. The animals were treated with GP extracts (50 and 100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 21 days before exposure to electric footshock (EF; duration and interval 10 sec for 3 min, 2 mA) for chronic stress once a day. The ambulatory locomotor activity was reduced by chronic EF stress and it was recovered by 12.9-15.1% in GP extract-treated groups. The grip strength was also significantly decreased by chronic EF stress, however, the EF-stressed groups treated with GP extract increased grip strength from 13.9% to 56.8% compared to EF-stressed groups. In addition, the serum levels of corticosterone were significantly elevated by chronic EF stress to 197% of the control levels, which was reduced to 73.1% by treatment with GP extract (100 mg/kg). In contrast, the brain levels of dopamine and serotonin were reduced to 67.6% and 63.1% by chronic EF stress, which was recovered to 90% of the control levels by treatment with GP extract. These results indicate that GP extract shows the ameliorating effects on chronic EF stress-induced anxiety in mice and it can be developed as the promising anti-anxiety agent.