Enhanced Cholinergic Function in Aged Rats Treated with TJ-23

Summary: Toki-shakuyaku-san (TJ23) given to old rats maybe increases acetylcholine churn in their striata.

Interestingness: 1

Paper by Midori Hiramatsu, Makiko Komatsu, Toshimitsu Yuzurihara, Kazuko Saitoh, Atsushi Ishige and Yasuhiro Komatsu in the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Volume 2, Issue 1, Spring 1999.

(((
TJ-23 is a mix of herbs common in Japan. In a previous paper it was given to senescence accelerated mice to extend median lifespan. The authors gave them to adult (6 months) and old (24 months) rats. Old rats given TJ23 had increased choline acetyltransferase (enzyme that metabolises acetylcholine) activity in their stratium compared to controls. Old control rats had lower activity than adult rats. Activity in the cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, pons-medula oblongata and cerebellum didn't change between adult and old, TJ-23ed or control.

Muscarinic receptor binding (MRb) in the stratium also increased in old TJ-23 compared to control, and in both compared to adult. MRb was also higher in old cortices compared to adult. No changes elsewhere.

Finally, acetylcholinesterase (catabolyses acetycholine) was also higher in old TJ-23ed stratia compared to controls, and in both compared to adult. No changes elsewhere.

I don't think any of this means much. The authors claim antioxidant effect of TJ-23 is helping.
)))


Abstract follows:

A traditional herb ("Toki-shakuyaku-san" or TJ-23) has been reported to cause clinical improvement in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. To investigate possible neuronal mechanisms, we looked at its effect on cholinergic functions in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, midbrain, pons-medulla oblongata, and cerebellum of rats. In the aged (compared with the adult) rat brain, we found that choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity was decreased in the cortex and striatum; acetylcholinesterase activity was decreased in the hippocampus, mid-brain and pons-medulla oblongata and increased in the striatum; and muscarinic receptor binding was increased in the cortex and striatum. In the striatum of aged rats, TJ-23 resulted in increased choline acetyltransferase activity, muscarinic receptor binding, and acetylcholinesterase activity. TJ-23 has a significant effect on cholinergic function in the striatum of aged rats.