Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Department of Nursing, Anhui College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhu, China.
Psychiatry Res. 2015 Feb 28;225(3):509-14. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2014.11.056. Epub 2014 Dec 9.
Olfaction plays an important role in emotions in our daily life. Pleasant odors are known to evoke positive emotions, inducing relaxation and calmness. The beneficial effects of vanillin on depressive model rats were investigated using a combination of behavioral assessments and neurotransmitter measurements. Before and after chronic stress condition (or olfactory bulbectomy), and at the end of vanillin or fluoxetine treatment, body weight, immobility time on the forced swimming test and sucrose consumption in the sucrose consumption test were measured. Changes in these assessments revealed the characteristic phenotypes of depression in rats. Neurotransmitters were measured using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography. Our results indicated that vanillin could alleviate depressive symptoms in the rat model of chronic depression via the olfactory pathway. Preliminary analysis of the monoamine neurotransmitters revealed that vanillin elevated both serotonin and dopamine levels in brain tissue. These results provide important mechanistic insights into the protective effect of vanillin against chronic depressive disorder via olfactory pathway. This suggests that vanillin may be a potential pharmacological agent for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
嗅觉在我们的日常生活中情绪中起着重要作用。众所周知，宜人的气味会引发积极的情绪，带来放松和平静。本研究采用行为评估和神经递质测量相结合的方法，研究香草醛对抑郁模型大鼠的有益作用。在慢性应激条件（或嗅球切除术）前后，以及香草醛或氟西汀治疗结束时，测量体重、强迫游泳试验中的不动时间和蔗糖消耗试验中的蔗糖消耗。这些评估的变化揭示了大鼠抑郁的特征表型。使用超高效液相色谱法测量神经递质。我们的结果表明，香草醛可以通过嗅觉途径缓解慢性抑郁症大鼠模型的抑郁症状。对单胺神经递质的初步分析表明，香草醛可提高脑组织中 5-羟色胺和多巴胺的水平。这些结果为香草醛通过嗅觉途径对抗慢性抑郁障碍的保护作用提供了重要的机制见解。这表明香草醛可能是治疗重度抑郁症的潜在药物。
