Dept. of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy Care Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
Pharm Biol. 2010 Jul;48(7):794-800. doi: 10.3109/13880200903280034.
YZ-50 is an active fraction obtained from the root of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. (Polygalaceae) extract and it has been reported previously to exert beneficial effects on mental health in depressed sufferers, however, its mechanism of action remains unresolved. This study utilized the chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression in Sprague-Dawley rats to evaluate the effects of YZ-50 on depressive behaviors. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that the capacity of YZ-50 to reverse the harmful effects of CMS is relative to the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. Repeated administration of YZ-50 for 28 days at the doses of 140 and 280 mg/kg in CMS, YZ-50 reversed the CMS-induced changes in sucrose consumption, plasma corticosterone levels and open field activity. In addition, CMS significantly decreased hippocampal BDNF mRNA levels. However, YZ-50 counteracted a decrease in hippocampal BDNF mRNA caused by CMS. In conclusion, YZ-50 reversed the harmful effects of CMS on mood and behaviors in rats and it possesses an antidepressant property that is at least in part mediated by the neuroendocrine and neuropropective systems, and it is likely that the HPA system plays an important role in this process.
YZ-50 是从远志根（远志科）提取物中获得的活性部分，先前有报道称其对抑郁患者的心理健康有益，然而，其作用机制仍未解决。本研究利用慢性轻度应激（CMS）抑郁大鼠模型评估 YZ-50 对抑郁行为的影响。此外，我们还测试了以下假设，即 YZ-50 逆转 CMS 有害影响的能力与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）系统和海马中的脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）有关。在 CMS 中，YZ-50 连续 28 天以 140 和 280 mg/kg 的剂量给药，YZ-50 逆转了 CMS 引起的蔗糖消耗、血浆皮质酮水平和旷场活动的变化。此外，CMS 显著降低了海马 BDNF mRNA 水平。然而，YZ-50 对抗了 CMS 引起的海马 BDNF mRNA 减少。综上所述，YZ-50 逆转了 CMS 对大鼠情绪和行为的有害影响，它具有抗抑郁作用，至少部分是通过神经内分泌和神经保护系统介导的，HPA 系统在此过程中可能发挥重要作用。
