J Korean Soc Biol Psychiatry.  1997 Jun;4(1):54-59.

Effects of the Sanjoin on the Rat Brain: Focused on Serotonin, Sleeping Time, Sleep EEG and Autonomic Activity

• Jeong HY
• Kwon YJ
• Park IJ
• Kwon JT
• Han BH
• Lee SP

Abstract

OBJECTS: Sanjoin, the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosus has been used as the most important hypnotic agent in chinese medicine to treat insomnia. This research was performed in order to examine the effect of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A which are components of Sanjoin. METHOD: Sleeping time, sleep recordings of EEG, serum serotonin level, and locomotor activity were measured in rats which received betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A as sleep induction material extracted from Sanjoin.
RESULTS
1) Groups received betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed increased sleep time than control group with saline. 2) Groups with betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, lorazepam and saline recorded beta-wave in sleep recording of EEG. In there was no significant difference among all groups. 3) No significant difference in serum serotonin level among all groups was found. 4) In autonomic activity testing, groups of betulinic acid, sanjoinine-A, and lorazepam showed significantly more decreased in activity than saline group. In comparison of groups of betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A with a group of lorazepam, there was no significant difference.
CONCLUSION
These results suggests that betulinic acid and sanjoinine-A have the sedative effect like lorazepam rather than sleep effect.

MeSH Terms

Animals
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Brain*
Electroencephalography*
Humans
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Lorazepam
Motor Activity
Rats*
Serotonin*
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Ziziphus
Hypnotics and Sedatives
Lorazepam
Serotonin