Valeriana Officinalis and Melissa Officinalis Extracts Normalize Brain Levels of GABA and Glutamate Altered by Chronic Stress
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ISSN: 2572-4053 Scaglione and Zangara. J Sleep Disord Manag 2017, 3:016 DOI: 10.23937/2572-4053.1510016 Volume 3 | Issue 1 Journal of Open Access Sleep Disorders and Management RESEARCH ARTICLE Valeriana Officinalis and Melissa Officinalis Extracts Normalize Brain Levels of GABA and Glutamate Altered by Chronic Stress Francesco Scaglione1* and Andrea Zangara2,3 1Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Italy 2Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia 3Natural Power Meds Consulting, Barcelona, Spain *Corresponding author: Prof. Francesco Scaglione, MD, PhD, Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Via Vanvitelli 32, 20129-Milan, Italy, Tel: ++39-0250317073, Fax: ++39-0250317050, E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Keywords Despite being traditionally used herbals to treat mild anxiety Valeriana officinalis, Melissa officinalis, GABA, Glutamate, and sleep disorders, Valeriana officinalis and Melissa officina- Sleep lis mechanism of action is not fully understood. While the pat- tern of mood modulation of both herbals suggests the involve- ment of the Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) ergic system, Introduction other changes in the neurotransmitters pathways can provide Sleep loss and sleep disorders are among the most an explanation for the clinical effects. The aim of this study was to examine the combined mechanism of action of the two ex- common health problems. Surveys report that approx- tracts in order to explain the anxiolytic and calming effects that imately 30% to 40% of adults have problems initiat- may facilitate sleep induction and improve sleep quality in pa- ing or maintaining sleep [1-3]. About 10% to 15% of tients with mild to moderate sleep disturbances. These effects adults report severe problems, and this statistic rises have been previously reported in the literature for a botanical product combining 120 mg Valeriana officinalis and 80 mg of up to 25% in the elderly [2]. Insomnia is found in up Melissa officinalis standardized extracts (Songha® Night). To to 69% of patients attending primary care clinics and assess mechanism of action we employed the Unpredictable more common with chronic medical conditions [3,4]. Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS) animal model, as it has strong Chronic sleep loss has serious consequences for health, predictive validity. Brain GABA and glutamate levels were performance, and safety [5]. Anxiety and stress disor- sampled using a microdialysis technique and measured by HPLC. Additional in vitro experiments investigated the effects ders represent a range of conditions that include gen- of the extracts on Group II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors eralized anxiety, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress (mGlu2) binding and GABA Transaminase (GABA-T) activity. disorder, obsessive-compulsive syndrome, and social Results indicate that the two extracts together exert a func- phobias. All of them lead to sleep disturbances and tional synergism leading to normalization of brain levels of GABA and glutamate altered by stress. In vitro experiments interfere with cognitive functions [6]. Unfortunately, reveal that the combination of both extracts could inhibit GA- there is only limited evidence to support the efficacy BA-T activity more effectively than the single extracts, and that of many of the commonly used remedies for insomnia, Valeriana officinalis binds mGlu2 receptors. Altogether these including antihistamines, chloral hydrate, barbiturates, results demonstrate a synergistic effect of Valeriana officinalis tryptophan, and melatonin [7]. Although benzodiaze- and Melissa officinalis standardized extracts on counteracting the alterations in neurotransmitter levels caused by chronic pines are known to be effective for insomnia, their clin- stress and support the tranquilizing and sleep inducing activity ical benefit is negligible and similar to that found with of Songha® Night observed in clinical trials. exercise therapy alone [8]. Moreover, benzodiazepine receptor agonists chronic treatment is limited by con- Citation: Scaglione F, Zangara A (2017) Valeriana Officinalis and Melissa Officinalis Extracts Normalize Brain Levels of GABA and Glutamate Altered by Chronic Stress. J Sleep Disord Manag 3:016. doi.org/10.23937/2572- 4053.1510016 Received: May 05, 2017: Accepted: September 16, 2017: Published: September 18, 2017 Copyright: © 2017 Scaglione F, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Scaglione and Zangara. J Sleep Disord Manag 2017, 3:016 • Page 1 of 7 • DOI: 10.23937/2572-4053.1510016 ISSN: 2572-4053 cerns regarding long-term efficacy and the potential for Nervous System (CNS). For this reason, we measured abuse, dependence, and adverse side effects, including the levels of glutamate and GABA in the brain of rats an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, falls, and exposed to chronic stress and treated with either VAL, fractures [7]. For these reasons, many people with sleep or MEL, or a combination of both extracts. We select- disorders resort to complementary medicines, including ed the Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS) ani- herbal extracts [9]. mal model, as most effects of UCMS can be reversed by antidepressant agents, illustrating a strong predictive Two herbal extracts, Valeriana officinalis (VAL) and validity [35]. Melissa officinalis (MEL) have been commonly used to treat mild anxiety and sleep disorders [10,11]. The Materials and Methods extract of the root of VAL, a flowering plant, has been widely used to treat sleep disorders in Europe for de- Animals cades [10] and is becoming increasingly popular in the Six to eight-week-old female Wistar rats were pur- United States as a self-prescribed treatment for insom- chased from Charles River (Calco, Italy). Animals were nia. In a national survey, approximately two million left to acclimate for 1 week before entering the study. adults reported using valerian in the past week [11]. Rats were then divided in five groups (ten animals per The perennial lemon-scented herb MEL (synonym group) and stressed using the UCMS technique. Institu- lemon balm) has been in use as a pan-cultural medicinal tional and national guide for the care and use of labora- treatment for more than two millennia. Its traditional tory animals was followed (Prot. N. 15-2013). indications have included general beneficial effects on Materials the brain as a treatment for memory disorders [12] and for “all complaints supposed to proceed from a disor- MEL and VAL standardized extracts were supplied by dered state of the nervous system” [13]. Contemporary Ginsana SA (Bioggio, Swizerland). The analytical mark- reports emphasize the sedative, spasmolytic, and anti- ers for VAL are valerenic acids, and the fixed ratio herbal bacterial effects of MEL, with indications encompassing drug:dry extract = 4.5:1; while the MEL analytical mark- nervous, gastrointestinal, and sleep disorders [14-16]. er is rosmarinic acid (> 1.8%) and the extract is stan- dardized on the fixed ratio herbal drug:dry extract = 5:1. The specific mechanisms of action responsible for the pharmacological effects of VAL and MEL have not Chemicals been fully elucidated, nevertheless, accumulating evi- L-[3,4-3H]-Glutamic acid (49.9 Ci/mmol) was obtained dence points towards both GABAergic and glutamater- from Perkin Elmer Life and Analytical Sciences, Inc. LC- gic actions of both extracts [10,17-24]. CG-I (2S,1S,2S)-2-(Carboxycyclopropyl)glycine and L-AP4 While GABA receptor binding activity is relatively (L-(+)-2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid) were obtained well studied in anxiolytic botanicals, one of the other from Tocris Bioscience (Ellisville, MO). All other reagents mechanisms that induce GABA levels to increase in the were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Co. brain and potentially cause anxiety reduction is the inhi- Stress procedures bition of the enzyme GABA-T [25-27]. The UCMS model involves the chronic sequential Anxiety-related cognitive and behavioral disorders of- application of a variety of extremely mild stressors in a ten result from low levels of the inhibitory neurotransmit- random order, so that they are unpredictable. The stress ter GABA [28] and an increased glutamate release [29]. regimen is applied for three weeks. Different stressors A precise combination of 120 mg VAL and 80 mg MEL are presented: standardized extracts (Songha® Night) has been shown • to improve sleep quality in patients with mild to mod- Short periods (3 h) of food and water deprivations erate sleep disturbances and to have anxiolytic effects, • Confinement in a small tube (1 h) with no decrease in vigilance or mental performance, • Paired housing (exposure of a rat to another stressed no additive effect with alcohol in the psychomotor func- rat in the same cage) (2 h) tioning, and rare or inconsistent hangover symptoms, [30,31], as opposed to benzodiazepines and other sed- • Reversal of the dark/light cycle ative compounds. The neurotransmitters GABA and • 45° tilt cage (1 h) glutamate are both involved in the pathophysiology of sleep and mood disorders; published data point to an • Forced swim (30 min) increase of glutamate release and a deficit of GABA [28, • Housing with damp sawdust 29,32-34]. • Access to an empty bottle (2 h). Hence, we tested the hypothesis