Effects of base liquor of sauce-flavor Baijiu with different aging years on behavioural characteristics and neurotransmitter expression of mice

To investigate the effects of sauce-flavor (Jiangxiangxing) Baijiu base liquor with different aging years on the nervous system, the C57BL/6 mice were gavaged with sauce-flavor Baijiu base liquors aged for 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 years (numbered as Y1, Y3, Y5, Y7, Y9 and Y11), and the behavioral changes and neurotransmitter levels in brain of mice were analyzed using open-field behavioral tests and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The behavioral test results of mice showed that the total movement distance for mice significantly decreased after gavage with sauce-flavor Baijiu base liquor (P＜0.05), and the movement paths of mice gavaged with base liquor with different aging years were different. Mice in the Y1 and Y3 groups showed disordered rotation after gavage. Mice in the Y5 and Y7 groups showed progressive inhibition after gavage, but maintained some orderly movement trajectories. The trajectories of mice in the Y9 and Y11 groups were orderly after gavage, demonstrating the characteristic of "slight intoxication followed by quick recovery". The results of neurotransmitter level analysis in mice showed that the concentrations of key neurotransmitters, including L-asparagine, L-glutamate, glutathione, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), L-aspartate and glycine, were significantly higher in the Y1, Y3, Y5, Y7, Y9 and Y11 groups compared to the control group. Among them, the content of excitatory neurotransmitter L-glutamate was the highest in the Y9 group (5960.16 ng/mg), while the content of inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid was the highest in the Y11 group (2208.30 ng/mg). In conclusion, the base liquor with longer year might optimize the neurotransmitter homeostasis, reduce the negative effects brought by ethanol and enhance the comfort after drinking by regulating the metabolism of amino acids such as γ-aminobutyric acid and L-glutamic acid.