Flavonoid‐Like Components of Peanut Stem and Leaf Extract Promote Sleep by Decreasing Neuronal Excitability

• Published in: Molecular nutrition & food research Vol. 66; no. 1; pp. e2100210 - n/a
• Main Authors: Guo, Rui, Shi, Ai‐min, Deng, Lei, Li, Lei, Wang, Lie‐chen, Oteng, Antwi‐Boasiako, Wei, Meng‐ping, Zhao, Zhi‐hao, Hooiveld, Guido, Zhang, Chen, Wang, Qiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Action potential; Animals; Arachis; Channels; Diet; Dietary supplements; Excitability; flavonoid; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Herbal medicine; Leaves; Mice; Molecular docking; Molecular Docking Simulation; neuronal excitability; Neurons; peanut stem and leaf; Peanuts; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Potassium; Potassium channels (voltage-gated); Potassium currents; REM sleep; Sleep; Sodium; Sodium channels (voltage-gated); Traditional Chinese medicine; voltage‐gated sodium and potassium channels; sleep; peanut stem and leaf; flavonoid; voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels; neuronal excitability
• ISSN: 1613-4125; 1613-4133
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202100210

Scope Peanut stem and leaf (PSL), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used as a dietary supplement to improve sleep quality; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, the study aims to determine whether active compounds in PSL extract exert their effects by mediating neuronal excitability. Methods and Results Aqueous PSL extract (500 mg kg−1 BW) increases the duration of total sleep (TS), slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) in BALB/c mice after 7 and 14 continuous days of intragastric administration. Two PSL extract components with flavonoid‐like structures: 4',7‐di‐O‐methylnaringenin (DMN, 61 µg kg−1 BW) and 2’‐O‐methylisoliquiritigenin (MIL, 12 µg kg−1 BW), show similar effects on sleep in BALB/c mice. Moreover, incubation with DMN (50 µM) and MIL (50 µM) acutely reduces voltage‐gated sodium and potassium currents and suppresses the firing of evoked action potential in mouse cortical neurons, indicating the inhibition on neuronal excitability. Meanwhile, RNA‐seq analysis predicts the potential regulation of voltage‐gated channels, which is according with the molecular docking simulation that both MIL and DMN can bind to voltage gated sodium channels 1.2 (Nav1.2). Conclusions DMN and MIL are the active ingredients of PSL that improve sleep quality, suggesting that PSL promotes sleep by regulating the excitability of neurons. Peanut stem and leaf (PSL) is widely used as a dietary supplement to improve sleep. 4',7‐di‐O‐methylnaringenin and 2’‐O‐methylisoliquiritigenin, may be the main active components in PSL extract, which can significantly improve sleep in BALB/c mice by reducing voltage‐gated sodium and potassium currents and suppressing the firing of evoked action potential in cortical neurons, indicating the inhibition on neuronal excitability.