Gao Alex Xiong, Xia Tracy Chen-Xi, Peng Zhi-Tian, Wu Qi-Yun, Zhu Yue, Dong Tina Ting-Xia, Tsim Karl Wah-Keung
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518000, China; Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Edible and Medicinal Bioresources, HKUST Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518000, China.
Food Res Int. 2023 Jun;168:112765. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112765. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
Peanut shell is an agricultural byproduct being wasted on a large scale, which is in urgent need to be recycled. To fully utilize its pharmacological ingredients, e.g. luteolin, eriodyctiol, and 5,7-dihydroxychromone, we evaluated the curative effect of ethanol extract deriving from peanut shell (PSE) in treating chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive mice. The chronic stress lasted for 10 weeks, and PSE at 100-900 mg/kg/day was gavaged to mice in the last 2 weeks of modeling. The depressive behaviors were assessed by analyses of sucrose preference, tail suspension, and forced swimming. The brain injury was demonstrated by Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), Nissl body, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) stainings in the mouse hippocampus. Biochemical indicators were analyzed, including levels of neurotrophic factors, neurotransmitters, stress hormones, and inflammatory mediators. The feces were collected for the 16S rDNA sequencing of gut microbiome. Administration of PSE improved the sucrose water consumption of depressive mice, while it decreased the immobile time in tail suspension and forced swimming tests. Meanwhile, the anti-depressive effect of PSE was supported by ameliorated histochemical staining, increased levels of neurotrophic factors and neurotransmitters, as well as down-regulated stress hormones. Furthermore, the treatment of PSE was able to mitigate the levels of inflammatory cytokines in brain, serum, and small intestine. Besides, the tight junction proteins, e.g., occludin and ZO-1, of gut showed elevated expressions, which coincided with the elevated abundance and diversity of gut microbiota upon PSE treatment. This study validated the therapeutic efficacy of PSE in fighting against depression, as well as its modulatory action on inflammation and gut microbiota, which promoted the recycling of this agricultural waste to be health supplements of added value.
花生壳是一种被大量浪费的农业副产品，急需回收利用。为了充分利用其药理成分，如木犀草素、圣草酚和5,7 - 二羟基色原酮，我们评估了花生壳乙醇提取物（PSE）对慢性不可预测性轻度应激（CUMS）诱导的抑郁小鼠的治疗效果。慢性应激持续10周，在建模的最后2周，以100 - 900 mg/kg/天的剂量给小鼠灌胃PSE。通过分析蔗糖偏好、悬尾和强迫游泳来评估抑郁行为。通过苏木精和伊红（H&E）染色、尼氏小体染色以及TdT介导的dUTP缺口末端标记（TUNEL）染色来显示小鼠海马体中的脑损伤。分析了生化指标，包括神经营养因子、神经递质、应激激素和炎症介质的水平。收集粪便进行肠道微生物群的16S rDNA测序。给予PSE可提高抑郁小鼠的蔗糖水消耗量，同时减少悬尾和强迫游泳试验中的不动时间。此外，PSE的抗抑郁作用还得到了改善的组织化学染色、神经营养因子和神经递质水平升高以及应激激素下调的支持。此外，PSE治疗能够减轻脑、血清和小肠中的炎症细胞因子水平。此外，肠道的紧密连接蛋白，如闭合蛋白和ZO - 1，表达升高，这与PSE治疗后肠道微生物群的丰度和多样性增加相一致。本研究验证了PSE对抗抑郁的治疗效果，以及其对炎症和肠道微生物群的调节作用，这促进了这种农业废弃物作为有附加值的健康补充剂的回收利用。
