TITLE:
Mechanism of Action of Low Dose Preparations from Coffea arabica, Gelsemium and Veratrum Based on in Vivo and in Vitro Neurophysiological Findings
AUTHORS:
Wilfried Dimpfel, Andreas Biller
KEYWORDS:
Neurophysiology, Rat, Gelsemium sempervirens, Veratrum album, Coffea arabica, Electropharmacogram, Hippocampus Slice
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science,
Vol.5 No.9,
August
20,
2015
ABSTRACT: Low dose remedies are widely administered in
medicine. We used Tele-Stereo-EEG and the hippocampal slice preparation to
measure physiological effects of orally given Coffea D6 (40 mg/kg), Gelsemium D4 (10 mg/kg) and Veratrum D6 (30
mg/kg) in rats. Adult rats were implanted with electrodes positioned
stereotactically into four brain regions. Changes in field potentials were
transmitted wirelessly. After frequency analysis data from 6 - 8 animals were
averaged. For in vitro testing,
preparations were superfused directly on hippocampal slices. Stimulation of
Schaffer Collaterals by single stimuli (SS) or theta burst stimulation (TBS)
resulted in stable population spike amplitudes. All three low dose preparations
produced decreases of spectral power. Statistically significant changes were
observed in delta, theta and alpha2 spectral power. In the hippocampal slice
preparation Coffea facilitated signal
transfer presumably by enhancing glutamate AMPA receptor transmission. Gelsemium showed a similar effect, but
only after single shock stimulation. Opposite to this, attenuation of the
electric pathway was recognized after theta burst stimulation due to AMPA
receptor and glutamate metabotropic II receptor mediated transmission. Veratrum was able to attenuate
glutamatergic due to receptor-mediated signalling sensitive to AMPA and NMDA.
The results strongly speak in favour of the existence of biologically active
molecules in these low dose preparations.