Department of Psychiatric, HuZhou Third Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, Huzhou City 313000, Zhejiang Province, China.
Quality Management Division, HuZhou Third Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, Huzhou City 313000, Zhejiang Province, China.
J Chem Neuroanat. 2023 Oct;132:102313. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2023.102313. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
Depression is a clinically common and easily overlooked mental disease. Quercetin is a flavonoid compound, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant roles. Previous reports presented the anti-depressant role of quercetin. Nevertheless, the latent mechanism of the anti-depressant function of quercetin is blurry. This research aimed to probe its effects on corticosterone (CORT)-induced depression-like behaviors and explore the underlying mechanism. A depression model was established by subcutaneous injection of CORT (20 mg/kg). Thereafter, CORT-treated mice were given 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg of quercetin by gavage. This study found that quercetin mitigated depression-like behaviors, as evidenced by increased the number of line crossings, swimming time, and time spent in open arm and reduced thigmotaxis time in CORT-challenged mice in open field test and decreased immobility time as well as the swimming and climbing time in forced swim test and increased number of head dips, time spent and entries in open arm elevated plus maze test. Also, quercetin exerted anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation effects in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of CORT-induced mice. Additionally, quercetin alleviated the pathological injury of the liver tissue and weakened alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations of the serum in CORT-induced mice. Quercetin also suppressed Caspase-3 content but advanced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contents in hippocampus of CORT-treated mice. Based on these results, quercetin mitigated CORT-induced depression-like behaviors, and the mechanism was partly related to the repression of neuroinflammation and oxidative damage.
抑郁症是一种临床上常见且容易被忽视的精神疾病。槲皮素是一种类黄酮化合物，具有抗炎和抗氧化作用。先前的报告表明槲皮素有抗抑郁作用。然而，槲皮素抗抑郁作用的潜在机制尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨其对皮质酮（CORT）诱导的抑郁样行为的影响，并探索其潜在机制。通过皮下注射 CORT（20mg/kg）建立抑郁模型。此后，用 CORT 处理的小鼠经灌胃给予 40mg/kg 和 80mg/kg 的槲皮素。本研究发现，槲皮素减轻了抑郁样行为，表现在旷场试验中增加了穿越线的次数、游泳时间和开放臂停留时间，减少了趋触回避时间；在强迫游泳试验中减少了不动时间以及游泳和攀爬时间，增加了头浸次数、开放臂停留时间和进入次数；在高架十字迷宫试验中增加了头浸次数、开放臂停留时间和进入次数。此外，槲皮素在 CORT 诱导的小鼠海马和前额叶皮层发挥抗炎和抗氧化作用。此外，槲皮素减轻了 CORT 诱导的小鼠肝组织的病理损伤，降低了血清碱性磷酸酶（ALP）和丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）的浓度。槲皮素还抑制了 Caspase-3 含量，但增加了海马中血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）和脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的含量。基于这些结果，槲皮素减轻了 CORT 诱导的抑郁样行为，其机制部分与抑制神经炎症和氧化损伤有关。
