Almohaimeed Hailah M, Hamed Shereen, Seleem Hanan S, Batawi Ashwaq H, Mohammedsaleh Zuhair M, Balgoon Maha Jameal, Ali Soad S, Al Jaouni Soad, Ayuob Nasra
Department of Basic Science, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Medical Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Front Pharmacol. 2021 Nov 10;12:749766. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.749766. eCollection 2021.
Pumpkins ( L.) were described to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fatigue, and antidepressant-like effect. The adrenal gland is an important stress-responsive organ that maintains homeostasis during stress. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the administration of L. (CP) extract in relieving behavioral, biochemical, and structural changes in the adrenal gland induced by exposure to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and to explore the mechanism behind this impact. Forty male albino rats were divided into 4 groups ( = 10): control, CUMS, fluoxetine-treated, and CP-treated groups. Behavioral changes, corticosterone level, pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, and oxidant/antioxidant profile were assessed in the serum at the end of the experiment. Adrenal glands were processed for histopathological and immunohistochemical assessment. Gene expression of caspase-3 and Ki67 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were assessed in adrenal glands using RT-PCR. The CP extract significantly reduced the corticosterone level ( < 0.001), immobility time ( < 0.001), and inflammatory and oxidative changes associated with CUMS-induced depression compared to the untreated group. The CP extract alleviated CUMS-induced adrenal histopathological changes and significantly reduced apoptosis ( < 0.001) and significantly upregulated antioxidant levels in the serum. L. effectively ameliorated the chronic stress-induced behavioral, biochemical, and adrenal structural changes mostly through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
南瓜（L.）被描述具有抗氧化、抗炎、抗疲劳和抗抑郁样作用。肾上腺是一个重要的应激反应器官，在应激期间维持体内平衡。本研究旨在评估南瓜（L.）提取物（CP）给药对缓解慢性不可预测轻度应激（CUMS）诱导的肾上腺行为、生化和结构变化的疗效，并探讨其背后的作用机制。将40只雄性白化大鼠分为4组（每组n = 10）：对照组、CUMS组、氟西汀治疗组和CP治疗组。在实验结束时评估血清中的行为变化、皮质酮水平、促炎细胞因子TNF-α和IL-6以及氧化/抗氧化谱。对肾上腺进行组织病理学和免疫组织化学评估。使用RT-PCR评估肾上腺中caspase-3、Ki67和热休克蛋白70（HSP70）的基因表达。与未治疗组相比，CP提取物显著降低了皮质酮水平（P < 0.001）、不动时间（P < 0.001）以及与CUMS诱导的抑郁相关的炎症和氧化变化。CP提取物减轻了CUMS诱导的肾上腺组织病理学变化，并显著降低了细胞凋亡（P < 0.001），并显著上调了血清中的抗氧化水平。南瓜（L.）主要通过其抗氧化和抗炎作用有效改善了慢性应激诱导的行为、生化和肾上腺结构变化。
