人體睡眠時常因為上呼吸道阻力增加及呼吸肌肉收縮力下降造成呼吸障礙，症狀較輕時會引發打鼾現象，嚴重時則可能導致呼吸中止，這類與睡眠相關的呼吸障礙稱之為「睡眠呼吸障礙」。近年來，世界各國對睡眠呼吸障礙患病率居高不下，且有逐年增高的趨勢。鑒於現代西方醫學對於此類疾病尚無顯著療效，因此透過篩選有效治療呼吸系統疾病相關的傳統中草藥，應該可以作為有效緩解睡眠呼吸障礙的另類治療策略。本論文主要探討傳統中草藥可否有效改善睡眠呼吸障礙，本研究首先選出由地骨皮、天麻、桂皮等中藥組成的漢藥複方B210 ，利用大白鼠作為實驗動物模式，測量口服B210對於舒緩實驗動物呼吸障礙的功效。我們利用壓迫呼吸道誘發呼吸障礙的大白鼠作為動物模式，比較大白鼠經B210處理後對於鼾聲、喉頭血流、聲門面積、以及膈神經、喉返神經與舌下神經活動的影響，藉此檢測B210處理對於實驗動物呼吸障礙是否具有舒緩的功效。本研究實驗結果發現大白鼠經B210處理後可以明顯降低鼾聲、有效增加喉部肌肉血流、擴張吸氣時的聲門面積、以及顯著增加膈神經、喉返神經與舌下神經的吸氣活動放電、並且延長大白鼠的呼氣與吸氣的時間。綜合本論文研究結果顯示：B210處理對於實驗動物睡眠呼吸障礙確實具有顯著緩解的效果，因此可以作為緩解人類睡眠呼吸障礙的另類治療策略。

Human often causes respiratory disturbances due to increased in upper airway resistance and decreased in respiratory muscle contractility. The respiratory disturbances may cause snoring when the symptoms are milder, while lead to apnea when the symptoms are severe. These sleep-related breathing disorders are called sleep-disordered breathing symptoms. The problem of sleep-disordered breathing is getting worse in the world. In view of the Western medicine has no significant effect on such diseases, traditional Chinese herbal medicines related to the treatment of respiratory diseases can be used as alternative treatment strategies for effectively relieving sleep-disordered breathing. The aims of the pressed dissertation mainly focus on whether traditional Chinese herbal medicine can effectively improve snoring in experimental animals. Thus, a Chinese herbal medicine, B210 (a herbal composition of Cortex Lycii, Gastrodia elata and Cinnamomum cassia) and aged rats were used in this study. We then measured the efficacy of B210 treatment in relieving sleep-disordered breathing by compared the snoring, laryngomuscular blood flow, glottal area, and neural activities of the phrenic, recurrent laryngeal and hypoglossal nerves before and after B210 treatment. Our results showed that aged rats with intraperitoneal B210 treatment significantly reduces their snoring pressure and frequency, effectively increases laryngomuscular blood flow, extend the glottal area during inspiration, significantly enhance activities of the phrenic, recurrent laryngeal and hypoglossal nerves, and prolong inspiratory and expiratory durations. All our results support that B210 treatment should has a significant relief effect on sleep-disordered breathing in aged rats. Thus we suggested that B210 may be used as an alternative treatment strategy to sleep-disordered breathing.

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