Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, PR China.
Fitoterapia. 2012 Jan;83(1):93-103. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2011.09.017. Epub 2011 Oct 8.
Chaihu-jia-longgu-muli-tang (CLM) has been used for treating depressive disorders for thousands of years in China. In the present study, we investigated the antidepressant-like effect of the saponins extracted from CLM (SCLM) in rats subjected to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). The ameliorative effect of SCLM on symptom of depression through behavior tests including: sucrose preference test, open-field test and forced-swimming test was investigated. In addition, high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD), immunohistochemical staining analysis and RT-PCR were applied to explore the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like effects of SCLM. It was observed that administration of SCLM (70, 140 mg/kg) reversed the depressive-like behaviors, restored the reduction in the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and up-regulated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in UCMS-treated rats. These findings confirmed the antidepressant-like effects of SCLM in UCMS model of rats.
柴胡加龙骨牡蛎汤在中国已经有数千年用于治疗抑郁症。在本研究中，我们研究了柴胡加龙骨牡蛎汤提取物（SCLM）对不可预测慢性轻度应激（UCMS）大鼠的抗抑郁样作用。通过行为测试，包括蔗糖偏好测试、旷场测试和强迫游泳测试，研究了 SCLM 对抑郁症状的改善作用。此外，还应用高效液相色谱电化学检测（HPLC-ECD）、免疫组织化学染色分析和 RT-PCR 来探讨 SCLM 抗抑郁样作用的机制。结果表明，SCLM（70、140mg/kg）给药可逆转抑郁样行为，恢复 UCMS 处理大鼠中单胺神经递质水平的降低，并上调脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的表达。这些发现证实了 SCLM 在 UCMS 大鼠模型中的抗抑郁样作用。
