Liu Qing, Ding Xiaoyan, Wang Ying, Chu Hairong, Guan Yan, Li Meng, Sun Kuisheng
School of Laboratory Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, China.
Front Pharmacol. 2024 Feb 6;15:1303123. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1303123. eCollection 2024.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by symptoms of panic and anxiety, depression, impaired cognitive functioning, and difficulty in social interactions. While the effect of the traditional Chinese medicine artemisinin (AR) on PTSD is unknown, its therapeutic benefits have been demonstrated by studies on models of multiple neurological disorders. This study aimed to extend such findings by investigating the effects of AR administration on a rat model of PTSD induced by a regimen of single prolonged stress (SPS). After rats were subjected to the SPS protocol, AR was administered and its impact on PTSD-like behaviors was evaluated. In the present study, rats were subjected to a multitude of behavioral tests to evaluate behaviors related to anxiety, memory function, and social interactions. The expression of hippocampal synaptic plasticity-related proteins was detected using Western blot and immunofluorescence. The ultrastructure of synapses was observed under transmission electron microscopy. The apoptosis of hippocampal neurons was examined with Western blot, TUNEL staining, and HE staining. The results showed that AR administration alleviated the PTSD-like phenotypes in SPS rats, including behavior indicative of anxiety, cognitive deficits, and diminished sociability. AR administration was further observed to improve synaptic plasticity and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in SPS rats. These findings suggest that administering AR after the onset of severe traumatic events may alleviate anxiety, cognitive deficits, and impaired social interaction, improve synaptic plasticity, and diminish neuronal apoptosis. Hence, the present study provides evidence for AR's potential as a multi-target agent in the treatment of PTSD.
创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）是一种慢性精神障碍，其特征为恐慌、焦虑、抑郁、认知功能受损以及社交互动困难等症状。虽然中药青蒿素（AR）对PTSD的作用尚不清楚，但多项神经疾病模型研究已证明了其治疗益处。本研究旨在通过调查AR给药对单次长时间应激（SPS）诱导的PTSD大鼠模型的影响来扩展这些发现。在大鼠接受SPS方案后，给予AR并评估其对PTSD样行为的影响。在本研究中，对大鼠进行了多种行为测试，以评估与焦虑、记忆功能和社交互动相关的行为。使用蛋白质免疫印迹法和免疫荧光法检测海马突触可塑性相关蛋白的表达。在透射电子显微镜下观察突触的超微结构。用蛋白质免疫印迹法、TUNEL染色和苏木精-伊红染色检测海马神经元的凋亡。结果表明给予AR可减轻SPS大鼠的PTSD样表型，包括焦虑、认知缺陷和社交能力下降等行为。进一步观察到给予AR可改善SPS大鼠的突触可塑性并抑制神经元凋亡。这些发现表明，在严重创伤事件发生后给予AR可能减轻焦虑、认知缺陷和社交互动受损，改善突触可塑性，并减少神经元凋亡。因此，本研究为AR作为治疗PTSD的多靶点药物的潜力提供了证据。
