Maneenet Juthamart, Chotritthirong Yutthana, Omar Ashraf M, Choonong Rattanathorn, Daodee Supawadee, Monthakantirat Orawan, Khamphukdee Charinya, Pitiporn Supaporn, Awale Suresh, Matsumoto Kinzo, Chulikhit Yaowared
Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Natural Drug Discovery Laboratory, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Nutrients. 2024 Dec 29;17(1):94. doi: 10.3390/nu17010094.
Chronic stress exposure has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to numerous central nervous system (CNS) disorders, leading to debilitating behavioral changes such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairments. The prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during chronic stress disrupts the neuroendocrine balance and has detrimental effects on neuronal function and survival. () Gaertn., commonly known as the lotus flower, is a traditional medicinal plant consumed for its purported benefits on mental and physical well-being. Despite its traditional use, limited scientific evidence supports these claims. The present study explores the effects of , commonly known as the lotus flower, on cognitive performance and stress resilience in a mouse model subjected to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). Daily treatment significantly improved cognitive performance, alleviated depressive-like behaviors, and normalized hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, as indicated by a 60.97% reduction in serum corticosterone. At the molecular level, petals also downregulated serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) mRNA expression while upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression and cyclic-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responsive element-binding protein (CREB) mRNA expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. These normalizations are critical, as chronic stress dysregulates HPA axis function, exacerbating behavioral changes. Furthermore, a phytochemical analysis resulted in the isolation of five major compounds, kaempferol (), trifolin (), kaempferol-3-neohesperidoside (), icariside D (), and β-sitosterol (), each demonstrating significant monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activity. These compelling findings suggest that petals not only alleviate stress-induced mood and cognitive deficits but also offer a promising avenue for modulating the HPA axis and promoting neuroprotection via essential neurotrophic factors and enzymatic pathways. We advocate for its potential as a complementary and alternative medicine for effective stress management. Future investigations should further explore its mechanisms of action and evaluate its clinical applicability in stress-related disorders.
长期暴露于应激状态已被广泛认为是导致众多中枢神经系统（CNS）疾病的重要因素，会引发如焦虑、抑郁和认知障碍等使人衰弱的行为变化。在慢性应激期间，下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴的长期激活会破坏神经内分泌平衡，并对神经元功能和存活产生有害影响。（）Gaertn.，俗称莲花，是一种传统药用植物，因其据称对身心健康有益而被食用。尽管有传统用途，但支持这些说法的科学证据有限。本研究探讨了俗称莲花的（）对遭受不可预测的慢性轻度应激（UCMS）的小鼠模型的认知表现和应激恢复力的影响。每日治疗显著改善了认知表现，减轻了抑郁样行为，并使下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴活动恢复正常，血清皮质酮降低了60.97%表明了这一点。在分子水平上，（）花瓣还下调了血清和糖皮质激素诱导激酶1（SGK1）mRNA表达，同时上调了海马体和额叶皮质中脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）mRNA表达以及环磷酸腺苷（cAMP）反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）mRNA表达。这些恢复正常至关重要，因为慢性应激会使HPA轴功能失调，加剧行为变化。此外，植物化学分析分离出了五种主要化合物，山奈酚（）、三叶豆苷（）、山奈酚 - 3 - 新橙皮苷（）、淫羊藿苷D（）和β - 谷甾醇（），每种化合物都表现出显著的单胺氧化酶（MAO）抑制活性。这些令人信服的发现表明，（）花瓣不仅能减轻应激诱导的情绪和认知缺陷，还为通过必需的神经营养因子和酶途径调节HPA轴和促进神经保护提供了一条有前景的途径。我们主张其作为有效应激管理的补充和替代药物的潜力。未来的研究应进一步探索其作用机制，并评估其在应激相关疾病中的临床适用性。
