Efficacy of Choto-san on vascular dementia and the protective effect of the hooks and stems of Uncaria sinensis on glutamate-induced neuronal death.

Abstract

Two different multicenter studies on the efficacy of Choto-san on patients with vascular dementia, one a well-controlled but non-double blind (60 patients), the other a double-blind controlled study (139 patients), were performed. In the well-controlled study, Choto-san was superior in global improvement rating, utility rating and improvement of subjective symptoms, psychiatric symptoms and disturbance in daily living activities. In the double-blind study, with more objective criteria than the well-controlled study, Choto-san was also superior in global improvement rating, utility rating and improvement of subjective symptoms, psychiatric symptoms and disturbance in daily living activities. These results suggest that Choto-san is effective in the treatment of vascular dementia. Uncaria sinensis (OLIV.) HAVIL. (US) is the main medicinal plant composing Choto-san. Glutamate-induced cell death of cultured cerebellar granule cells was protected by the application of water extract of US in a dose-dependent manner, and concentrations of 10(-5) to 10(-4) g/ml had a significant effect compared to exposure to glutamate only. Further, the increase of 45Ca2+ influx into cells by glutamate was also blocked by the water extract in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that US has a protective effect on glutamate-induced neuronal death in cultured cerebellar granule cells through the inhibition of Ca2+ influx.

• Authors: T Itoh, Y Shimada, K Terasawa
• Journal: Mechanisms of ageing and development (Mech Ageing Dev) Vol. 111 Issue 2-3 Pg. 155-73 (Nov 1999) ISSN: 0047-6374 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 10656534 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Plant Extracts
• choto-san
• Glutamic Acid
• Calcium

Topics

• Activities of Daily Living
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Animals
• Calcium (metabolism)
• Cell Death (drug effects)
• Cell Survival
• Cells, Cultured
• Cerebellum (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Dementia, Vascular (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Double-Blind Method
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Glutamic Acid (pharmacology)
• Humans
• Male
• Neurons (drug effects)
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology)
• Plants, Medicinal
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Safety
• Treatment Outcome