Poleszak Ewa, Wośko Sylwia, Szewczyk Bernadeta, Wyska Elżbieta, Szopa Aleksandra, Wróbel Andrzej, Szponar Jarosław, Wlaź Piotr, Ołtarzewska Dorota, Słotwińska Weronika, Czylkowska Agnieszka, Serefko Anna
Laboratory of Preclinical Testing, Chair and Department of Applied and Social Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodźki Street, Lublin, 20-093, Poland.
Chair and Department of Applied and Social Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 1 Chodźki Street, Lublin, 20-093, Poland.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2025 Jun 24. doi: 10.1007/s00213-025-06827-6.
Conventional pharmacotherapy for depression faces numerous challenges, including side effects. Moreover, less than 50-70% of patients fully respond to treatment, and 20-30% experience recurrence. This has led to a growing interest in alternative treatments, particularly phytotherapy. Among various plant-based compounds, asiatic acid has gained attention due to its multidirectional therapeutic properties.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether asiatic acid could enhance the antidepressant effects of conventional drugs (imipramine, reboxetine, and escitalopram).
The antidepressant-like effect was tested by the forced swim test and in the tail suspension test in male Albino Swiss mice. Additionally, pharmacokinetic studies and biochemical analyses were carried out.
According to obtained results, asiatic acid at a sub-active dose (5 mg/kg) significantly potentiates the antidepressant activity of imipramine (15 mg/kg), reboxetine (2.5 mg/kg), and escitalopram (2 mg/kg). It was demonstrated that asiatic acid (5 mg/kg) did not increase serum or brain levels of the tested antidepressants. However, when given concurrently with escitalopram (2 mg/kg) it elevated concentrations of catalase and glutathione peroxidase as well as decreased levels of TBARS in mice brains. Co-administration of asiatic acid with imipramine (15 mg/kg) and reboxetine (2.5 mg/kg) reduced concentrations of TBARS in the tested tissue.
Our findings give a new light on the potential use of asiatic acid in the management of depression. The terpenoid has antidepressant properties, potentially making it a valuable addition/adjunct to conventional treatment.
抑郁症的传统药物治疗面临诸多挑战，包括副作用。此外，只有不到50 - 70%的患者对治疗完全有反应，20 - 30%的患者会复发。这使得人们对替代疗法，尤其是植物疗法的兴趣日益浓厚。在各种植物性化合物中，积雪草苷因其多向治疗特性而受到关注。
本研究旨在评估积雪草苷是否能增强传统药物（丙咪嗪、瑞波西汀和艾司西酞普兰）的抗抑郁作用。
通过强迫游泳试验和尾悬试验对雄性白化瑞士小鼠进行抗抑郁样作用测试。此外，还进行了药代动力学研究和生化分析。
根据所得结果，亚活性剂量（5毫克/千克）的积雪草苷显著增强了丙咪嗪（15毫克/千克）、瑞波西汀（2.5毫克/千克）和艾司西酞普兰（2毫克/千克）的抗抑郁活性。结果表明，积雪草苷（5毫克/千克）不会增加受试抗抑郁药的血清或脑内水平。然而，当与艾司西酞普兰（2毫克/千克）同时给药时，它会提高小鼠脑中过氧化氢酶和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶的浓度，并降低丙二醛水平。积雪草苷与丙咪嗪（15毫克/千克）和瑞波西汀（2.5毫克/千克）联合给药可降低受试组织中丙二醛的浓度。
我们的研究结果为积雪草苷在抑郁症治疗中的潜在应用提供了新的思路。这种萜类化合物具有抗抑郁特性，可能使其成为传统治疗中有价值的补充/辅助药物。
