Effect of Gastrodin on Gastric Sensitivity and Anxiety-like Behavior in FD Rats With Anxiety-like Gastric Hypersensitivity

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) with anxiety and gastric hypersensitivity is still one of the therapeutic difficulties in clinic. Gastrodin (Gas) may have dual effects of modulating gastric sensitivity and anxiety. Aims: To investigate the effect of Gas on gastric sensitivity and anxiety-like behavior in FD with anxiety-like gastric hypersensitivity in rats. Methods: Forty rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, buspirone group, low-dose Gas group and high-dose Gas group. Maternal separation, acute gastric irritation and restraint stress were sequentially performed to induce FD model with anxiety-like gastric hypersensitivity. At the 8th week, rats in control group and model group were intraperitoneally injected with 0.9% NaCl solution 2.0 mL/kg, rats in buspirone group were given buspirone 3.125 mg/kg, and rats in low- and high-dose Gas groups were given 62.5, 125.0 mg/kg Gas, respectively. The course was 7 days. Then elevated plus maze (EPM), open field test, abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) and electromyography (EMG) were performed. Results: Compared with control group, EPM test showed that proportions of open arms entries and duration were significantly decreased (P<0.01); open field test showed that virtual central grids duration (P<0.05), number of virtual grids climbed and times of lifting were significantly decreased (P<0.01); when gastric balloon dilatation pressure was equal or greater than 40 mm Hg, AWR score, area under ROC curve (AUC) of EMG was significantly increased in model group (P<0.05). Compared with model group, above-mentioned indices in low- and high-dose Gas groups were significantly ameliorated (P<0.05). Conclusions: Gas could influence the gastric sensitivity and anxiety-like behavior of the brain-stomach axis regulated anxiety-like gastric hypersensitivity in FD rat model.