{"title":"Ostreae Concha Extract Mitigates Sleep Disturbances Through 5-HT and Vagus Nerve-Mediated Gut-Brain Axis Pathways.","authors":"Feng Lu, Qinyu Wang, Qian Wang, Xun Ye, Zibo Liu, Chunjie Wu","doi":"10.2174/0113816128487198260714205131","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study investigates the mechanism by which Ostreae Concha (OC), a traditional Chinese medicinal material derived from oyster shells, alleviates insomnia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A chronic insomnia mouse model was established and assessed using behavioral tests, Nissl staining, biochemical assays, immunofluorescence, and ELISA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The aqueous extract of OC improved locomotion and anxiety-like behaviors, increased hippocampal Nissl bodies, reduced brain malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, lowered plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT), and elevated 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and c-Fos expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the inorganic components of OC enhanced the expression of proteins related to 5-HT synthesis, independently of calcium channels. Based on these findings, we propose that OC may form calcium carbonate nanoparticles in vivo, which stimulate intestinal chromaffin cells to release 5-HT. This signal is then transmitted via the vagus nerve to suppress overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thereby producing sedative and calming effects.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The findings confirm OC's sedative and hypnotic effects by regulating the 5-HT system and HPA axis, consistent with its traditional application in treating insomnia. The inorganic components' role in 5-HT synthesis, independent of calcium channels, reveals a novel mechanism of OC. Additionally, OC's derivation from aquaculture waste highlights its potential in resource recycling, offering a basis for further development of OC-based sleep-improving products and ecological resource utilization.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This work not only provides experimental evidence for the use of OC in sleep improvement but also suggests a potential pathway for the sustainable, high-value utilization of aquaculture waste, aligning ecological conservation with resource sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":10845,"journal":{"name":"Current pharmaceutical design","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current pharmaceutical design","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2174/0113816128487198260714205131","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: This study investigates the mechanism by which Ostreae Concha (OC), a traditional Chinese medicinal material derived from oyster shells, alleviates insomnia.
Methods: A chronic insomnia mouse model was established and assessed using behavioral tests, Nissl staining, biochemical assays, immunofluorescence, and ELISA.
Results: The aqueous extract of OC improved locomotion and anxiety-like behaviors, increased hippocampal Nissl bodies, reduced brain malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, lowered plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT), and elevated 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and c-Fos expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the inorganic components of OC enhanced the expression of proteins related to 5-HT synthesis, independently of calcium channels. Based on these findings, we propose that OC may form calcium carbonate nanoparticles in vivo, which stimulate intestinal chromaffin cells to release 5-HT. This signal is then transmitted via the vagus nerve to suppress overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thereby producing sedative and calming effects.
Discussion: The findings confirm OC's sedative and hypnotic effects by regulating the 5-HT system and HPA axis, consistent with its traditional application in treating insomnia. The inorganic components' role in 5-HT synthesis, independent of calcium channels, reveals a novel mechanism of OC. Additionally, OC's derivation from aquaculture waste highlights its potential in resource recycling, offering a basis for further development of OC-based sleep-improving products and ecological resource utilization.
Conclusion: This work not only provides experimental evidence for the use of OC in sleep improvement but also suggests a potential pathway for the sustainable, high-value utilization of aquaculture waste, aligning ecological conservation with resource sustainability.
期刊介绍：
Current Pharmaceutical Design publishes timely in-depth reviews and research articles from leading pharmaceutical researchers in the field, covering all aspects of current research in rational drug design. Each issue is devoted to a single major therapeutic area guest edited by an acknowledged authority in the field.
Each thematic issue of Current Pharmaceutical Design covers all subject areas of major importance to modern drug design including: medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, drug targets and disease mechanism.
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