Medical Psychological Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Brain Behav. 2020 Jun;10(6):e01626. doi: 10.1002/brb3.1626. Epub 2020 Apr 19.
Depression is a serious mental illness. However, a significant proportion of patients with depression fail to achieve remission with antidepressant therapies. This study was conducted to explore the antidepressant-like effect of flaxseed oil and flour in an animal model with depression-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredictable stress (CUS).
Rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal control (Sham-Sham), CUS plus saline (S-SN), CUS plus escitalopram (S-Esc), CUS plus flaxseeds oil (S-FO), and CUS plus flaxseed flour (S-FF). Behaviors were tested using sucrose preference test and forced swimming test. The serum BDNF concentration, hippocampal BDNF mRNA, and protein expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time PCR, and Western blot, respectively.
The sucrose preference rate was significantly higher in S-FO and S-FF rats than in S-SN and S-Esc rats (p < .01), and lower in S-Esc rats than in Sham-Sham rats (p < .01). The immobility time was significantly shorter in S-FO and S-FF rats than in S-SN rats (p < .01), and shorter in S-Esc rats than in S-SN rats (p < .01). Plasma BDNF concentrations were significantly lower in S-FO, S-FF, and S-Esc rats than in Sham-Sham rats (p < .01); BDNF was lower in S-FO, S-FF, and S-SN rats than in S-Esc rats. The hippocampal BDNF protein expression was significantly higher in S-Esc rats than in S-SN rats (p < .05). The hippocampal BDNF mRNA expression was significantly higher in S-Esc rats than in S-SN rats (p < .01). The BDNF gene expression in plasma and the hippocampus negatively correlated with the immobility time (p < .05), but BDNF gene expression in the hippocampus positively correlated with the sucrose preference rate (p < .05).
Flaxseed oil and flaxseed flour exert antidepressant-like effect in rats exposed to chronic stress. Flaxseed may have a therapeutic effect on depression.
抑郁症是一种严重的精神疾病。然而，相当一部分抑郁症患者未能通过抗抑郁药物治疗达到缓解。本研究旨在探讨慢性不可预测应激（CUS）诱导的具有抑郁样行为的动物模型中，亚麻籽油和亚麻粉的抗抑郁作用。
大鼠随机分为五组：正常对照组（Sham-Sham）、CUS 加生理盐水组（S-SN）、CUS 加依地普仑组（S-Esc）、CUS 加亚麻籽油组（S-FO）和 CUS 加亚麻粉组（S-FF）。通过蔗糖偏好试验和强迫游泳试验测试行为。采用酶联免疫吸附试验、实时 PCR 和 Western blot 分别测定血清脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）浓度、海马 BDNF mRNA 和蛋白表达。
S-FO 和 S-FF 大鼠的蔗糖偏好率明显高于 S-SN 和 S-Esc 大鼠（p<0.01），明显低于 S-Esc 大鼠（p<0.01）。S-FO 和 S-FF 大鼠的不动时间明显短于 S-SN 大鼠（p<0.01），明显短于 S-Esc 大鼠（p<0.01）。S-FO、S-FF 和 S-Esc 大鼠的血浆 BDNF 浓度明显低于 Sham-Sham 大鼠（p<0.01）；S-FO、S-FF 和 S-SN 大鼠的 BDNF 浓度明显低于 S-Esc 大鼠。S-Esc 大鼠的海马 BDNF 蛋白表达明显高于 S-SN 大鼠（p<0.05）。S-Esc 大鼠的海马 BDNF mRNA 表达明显高于 S-SN 大鼠（p<0.01）。血浆和海马的 BDNF 基因表达与不动时间呈负相关（p<0.05），但海马的 BDNF 基因表达与蔗糖偏好率呈正相关（p<0.05）。
亚麻籽油和亚麻粉对慢性应激大鼠具有抗抑郁作用。亚麻可能对抑郁症有治疗作用。
