Wang Qiong, Dong Li, Wang Mengdi, Chen Shanguang, Li Shanshan, Chen Yongbing, He Wenlu, Zhang Hong, Zhang Yongliang, Pires Dias Alberto Carlos, Yang Sijin, Liu Xinmin
Affiliated (T.C.M) Hospital, Sino-Portugal Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) International Cooperation Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China.
Front Psychiatry. 2021 Mar 26;12:638328. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.638328. eCollection 2021.
Our studies demonstrated that the space environment has an impact on the brain function of astronauts. Numerous ground-based microgravity and social isolation showed that the space environment can induce brain function damages in humans and animals. Dammarane sapogenins (DS), an active fraction from oriental ginseng, possesses neuropsychic protective effects and has been shown to improve depression and memory. This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of DS in attenuating depressive-like behaviors and cognitive deficiency induced by simulated weightlessness and isolation [hindlimb suspension and isolation (HLSI)] in rats. Male rats were orally administered with two different doses of DS (37.5, 75 mg/kg) for 14 days, and huperzine-A (1 mg/kg) served as positive control. Rats were subjected to HLSI for 14 days except the control group during drug administration. The depressive-like behaviors were then evaluated by the open-field test, the novel object recognition test, and the forced swimming test. The spatial memory and working memory were evaluated by the Morris water maze (MWM) test, and the related mechanism was further explored by analyzing the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampus of rats. The results showed that DS treatment significantly reversed the HLSI-induced depressive-like behaviors in the open-field test, the novel object recognition test, and the forced swimming test and improved the HLSI-induced cognitive impairment in the MWM test. Furthermore, after DS treatment, the ChAT and SOD activities of HLSI rats were increased while AChE activity was significantly suppressed. These findings clearly demonstrated that DS might exert a significant neuropsychic protective effect induced by spaceflight environment, driven in part by the modulation of cholinergic system and anti-oxidation in the hippocampus.
我们的研究表明，太空环境会对宇航员的大脑功能产生影响。大量基于地面的微重力和社会隔离研究表明，太空环境会导致人类和动物的大脑功能受损。达玛烷皂苷元（DS）是人参中的一种活性成分，具有神经精神保护作用，已被证明可改善抑郁和记忆。本研究旨在探讨DS对减轻大鼠模拟失重和隔离[后肢悬挂和隔离（HLSI）]诱导的抑郁样行为和认知缺陷的作用及机制。雄性大鼠口服两种不同剂量的DS（37.5、75mg/kg），持续14天，石杉碱甲（1mg/kg）作为阳性对照。给药期间，除对照组外，大鼠接受14天的HLSI处理。然后通过旷场试验、新物体识别试验和强迫游泳试验评估抑郁样行为。通过莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）试验评估空间记忆和工作记忆，并通过分析大鼠海马中胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）、乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）的活性进一步探讨相关机制。结果表明，DS处理显著逆转了HLSI在旷场试验、新物体识别试验和强迫游泳试验中诱导的抑郁样行为，并改善了HLSI在MWM试验中诱导的认知障碍。此外，DS处理后，HLSI大鼠的ChAT和SOD活性增加，而AChE活性显著受到抑制。这些发现清楚地表明，DS可能对航天环境诱导的神经精神损伤具有显著的保护作用，部分原因是通过调节海马中的胆碱能系统和抗氧化作用实现的。
