Yang Hyun, Kim Hye Jin, Hong Eui-Ju, Pyun Bo-Jeong, Ko Byung-Seob, Lee Hye Won
Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Feb 3;2019:7312842. doi: 10.1155/2019/7312842. eCollection 2019.
(TTK) is a groundcover found along coastal areas of the Korean peninsula. TTK is traditionally used to improve women's health and treat gastrointestinal diseases. Use of herbal medicines in the treatment of mood disorders has recently been suggested as an alternative therapeutic strategy. In the present study, we determined that consumption of TTK extract ameliorated progression of depressive-like symptoms in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and further examined the mechanisms involved, i.e., synthesis, release, and reuptake(s) of serotonin (also known as 5-HT). We assessed the mRNA expression levels of tryptophan hydroxylases (TPH-1 and TPH-2) and serotonin transporter (SERT) as well as the reuptake activity of serotonin in RBL-2H3 cells. We also determined whether or not TTK extract regulates the serum level of serotonin and improves depressive-like symptoms in 0.5, 1, and 2% TTK-fed OVX female rats in a forced swimming test. Our results show that the mRNA levels of TPH-1 and SERT were significantly reduced, whereas the mRNA level of TPH-2 was dose-dependently elevated by TTK (50 and 100 g/mL) in RBL-2H3 cells. TTK significantly inhibited LPS- (lipopolysaccharide-) induced serotonin uptake in RBL-2H3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The serum level(s) of serotonin was elevated by 1% and 2% TTK treatment in OVX female rats. Moreover, immobility time in the forced swimming test was reduced by 1% and 2% TTK treatment but not altered by 0.5% TTK treatment in OVX female rats. Taken together, these results indicate that TTK may significantly inhibit depressive-like symptoms due to upregulation of serotonin level(s) and regulation of serotonin reuptake activity. Thus, TTK may exert beneficial effects on depression during pre- or/and postmenopausal periods modulation of serotonin synthesis and metabolism.
TTK是一种生长在朝鲜半岛沿海地区的地被植物。传统上，TTK用于改善女性健康和治疗胃肠道疾病。最近，有人提出使用草药治疗情绪障碍作为一种替代治疗策略。在本研究中，我们确定食用TTK提取物可改善去卵巢（OVX）大鼠的抑郁样症状进展，并进一步研究其涉及的机制，即血清素（也称为5-羟色胺）的合成、释放和再摄取。我们评估了色氨酸羟化酶（TPH-1和TPH-2）和血清素转运体（SERT）的mRNA表达水平以及RBL-2H3细胞中血清素的再摄取活性。我们还确定了TTK提取物是否能调节血清素水平，并在强迫游泳试验中改善喂食0.5%、1%和2% TTK的OVX雌性大鼠的抑郁样症状。我们的结果表明，在RBL-2H3细胞中，TTK（50和100 μg/mL）可使TPH-1和SERT的mRNA水平显著降低，而TPH-2的mRNA水平呈剂量依赖性升高。TTK以剂量依赖性方式显著抑制脂多糖（LPS）诱导的RBL-2H3细胞中血清素的摄取。在OVX雌性大鼠中，1%和2%的TTK处理可提高血清素水平。此外，在OVX雌性大鼠中，1%和2%的TTK处理可减少强迫游泳试验中的不动时间，但0.5%的TTK处理未改变不动时间。综上所述，这些结果表明，TTK可能通过上调血清素水平和调节血清素再摄取活性来显著抑制抑郁样症状。因此，TTK可能在绝经前或/和绝经后期间对抑郁症发挥有益作用 调节血清素的合成和代谢。
