STUDIES ON QINGYANGSHEN (ROOT OF CYNANCHUM OTOPHYLLUM)——Ⅱ.EFFECT OF QINGYANGSHEN ON METABOLISM OF CENTRAL MONOAMINES

Qingyangshen (QYS) did not change the centralmonoamincs content at 24 hours,but by 48 hoursthe 5-HT content of both cerebral hemispheres andbrain stem and 5-HIAA content of brain stem weresignificantly increased as compared to control animals.In contrast,NE and DA did not significantly changeover the interval studied in QYS mice.The in-fluence of diphenylhydantoin (DPH) and phenobar-bital (PB) on the metabolism of central monoamineswas also studied,since these drugs are reputed to beparticularly effective in the treatment of epilepsy.The same effects were also seen after DPH or PBadministration.The results suggest that 5-HT syn-thesis is increased and the effects of QYS,DPH andPB on 5-HT metabolism may be considered in relationto their known anticonvulsant properties.