Potential sedative mechanism for Humulus lupulus L.

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a clear association between poor quality of sleep and a decreased quality of life in older adults with a high prevalence in menopausal women. Unfortunately, there are few viable treatment options for the sleep disturbances associated with menopause that do not have unwanted "hang-over" and other side effects. Humulus lupulus (hops) alone and in combination with Valerian officinalis L. (Valerianaceae; valerian) has been used as a sedative or sleeping aid, and clinical trails have shown efficacy. While the exact science of sleep induction and modulation is not completely understood, recent experiments implicate a new class of signaling lipids, the fatty-acid amides (FAAs). Anandamide and oleamide are two FAAs that have been shown to induce physiological sleep in mammals. An in-depth mechanistic study of hops would potentially provide valuable information on natural alternatives to alleviate sleep disturbances. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that active constituent(s) of hops modulate the anandamide pathway. The specific aims are (1) the evaluation of the in vitro activity of hops on the anandamide transporter, (2) the evaluation of in vitro activity of hops on fatty-acid amide hydrolase, and (3) the assessment of a standardized hops extract in vivo using male Institute of Cancer Research mice for fatty-acid amide associated activity. [unreadable] [unreadable]