Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:940846. doi: 10.1155/2012/940846. Epub 2012 Sep 13.
This study was to investigate antidepressant activities of Shuyusan (a Chinese herb), using a rats model of depression induced by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). The administration groups were treated with Shuyusan decoction for 3 weeks and compared with fluoxetine treatment. In order to understand the potential antidepressant-like activities of Shuyusan, tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST) were used as behavioral despair study. The level of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT) and hippocampus glucocorticoid receptor expression were examined. After modeling, there was a significant prolongation of immobility time in administration groups with the TST and FST. High-dose Shuyusan could reduce the immobility time measured with the TST and FST. The immobility time in high-dose herbs group and fluoxetine group was increased significantly compared with the model group. After 3 weeks herbs fed, the serum contents level of CRH, ACTH, and CORT in high-dose herb group was significantly decreased compared to the model group. The result indicated that Shuyusan had antidepressant activity effects on UCMS model rats. The potential antidepressant effect may be related to decreasing glucocorticoid levels activity, regulating the function of HPA axis, and inhibiting glucocorticoid receptor expression in hippocampus.
本研究采用不可预测性慢性温和应激（UCMS）大鼠模型，探讨了舒郁散（一种中药）的抗抑郁活性。给药组给予舒郁散煎剂治疗 3 周，并与氟西汀治疗进行比较。为了了解舒郁散潜在的抗抑郁样活性，采用悬尾试验（TST）和强迫游泳试验（FST）作为行为绝望研究。检测促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子（CRH）、促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）、皮质酮（CORT）和海马糖皮质激素受体表达水平。建模后，TST 和 FST 中给药组的不动时间明显延长。高剂量舒郁散可减少 TST 和 FST 测量的不动时间。高剂量草药组和氟西汀组的不动时间与模型组相比显著增加。给药 3 周后，高剂量草药组血清中 CRH、ACTH 和 CORT 的含量明显低于模型组。结果表明，舒郁散对 UCMS 模型大鼠具有抗抑郁作用。潜在的抗抑郁作用可能与降低糖皮质激素水平活性、调节 HPA 轴功能以及抑制海马糖皮质激素受体表达有关。
