Effect of kampo medicines on brain function

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26460925
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General internal medicine(including psychosomatic medicine)
• Research Institution: Setsunan University
• Principal Investigator: YABE TAKESHI 摂南大学, 薬学部, 教授 (40239835)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 漢方薬 / うつ様行動 / スパイン / GDNF

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Traditional Japanese herbal medicines (called kampo medicines in Japan, remedies composed of specified mixtures of crude drugs derived from plant, animal and mineral materials) have been applied for variety of diseases including mental diseases.　Although some kampo medicines have been used traditionally for stress-related psychoneurogical diseases such as , the precise mechanism by which kampo medicines ameliorate these mental diseases remains unclear. Oral administration of some kampo medicines (kami-untanto, kihito, and its constituent polygalae radix)) ameliorated the stress-induced depression-like behavior of mice. We also found that oral administration of Polygalae Radix-extract increase the expression of GDNF mRNA and the number of dendritic spine.

Free Research Field

天然物薬理学