This article contains findings obtained from research on animals:
- The results from animal research studies should not be directly applied to humans and the results may not generalise to the human population.
- There may be significant differences between species in terms of physiology, physiology, and pharmacology, as well as differences in the way diseases and treatments are modelled in animals.
- Any conclusions drawn from animal research should be considered with caution and in the context of other types of research studies such as observational studies, clinical trials, and reviews of the literature.
Insights & Discussion
Gan Mai Da Zao decoction has shown comparable anxiolytic effects to Diazepam and Buspirone in mice, possibly regulated by serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors.
The mice were given the Gan-Mai-Da-Zao (GMDZ) decoction orally at different concentrations for a week, with Diazepam and Buspirone serving as positive controls. Anxiety-level testing was conducted using a combination of the elevated plus-maze, light/dark box, marble burying, open field, and rota-rod tests, providing a comprehensive assessment of the decoction's effects on mice.
Furthermore, the anxiolytic effects that GMDZ induced in the mice were challenged by the application of Flumazenil, a gamma-aminobutyric acid-A receptor antagonist, and WAY-100635, a serotonin-1A receptor antagonist. They found that the effects were successfully inhibited, indicating that the mechanism of action of GMDZ could be linked to both the serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in the nervous system, thereby reducing anxiety-like behavior in mice.
Discover Related Insights
The traditional Chinese medicine Gan Mai Da Zao Tang may lessen depressive behaviors in rats, likely through licorice increasing serotonin transporter and brain-derived neurotrophic factor signals in the hippocampus.
2022 Plants Major Plant in Herbal Mixture Gan-Mai-Da-Zao for the Alleviation of Depression in Rat Models Li YX, Cheng KC, Hsu CT, Cheng JT, Yang TT
Animal Study Gan Cao Gan Mai Da Zao Tang Serotonin
This study experimentally examined the antidepressant impacts of Gan-Mai-Da-Zao (GMDZ), a Chinese traditional medicine that contains blighted wheat, licorice, and jujube. The researchers used an unpredictable chronic mild stress model in rats, some of whom received an injection with p-chlorophenylalanine to generate a chemical model for depression. The investigators employed behavioral tests, including forced swim tests, open field tests, and sucrose preference tests, to evaluate the chronic influence of GMDZ.
The oral application of GMDZ over 21 days considerably eased depressive behaviors in rats induced by either the unpredictable chronic mild stress or p-chlorophenylalanine. The treatment increased the expression of the serotonin transporter and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus in the rats with depression. However, rats provided with a similar herbal mixture that did not include licorice showed a significantly worse response, suggesting that licorice may play an essential role in the efficacy of GMDZ in combatting depression-like behaviors.