Abstract
Astrocytes in the hippocampus are immediately relevant to depressive-like behavior. By regulating their activities, Xiaoyaosan (XYS), a traditional Chinese medicine compound, works in the treatment of depression.ObjectiveChronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model was established to observe the regulation of XYS. We investigated the behavioral changes of CUMS, the expression of corticosterone (CORT) of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, the expression of Glu-NMDA receptor and astrocytes glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the hippocampus. We also investigated whether these changes were linked to XYS.Methods80 adult SD rats were randomly divided into four groups, control group, CUMS group, XYS group, and fluoxetine group. The rats in the control group and the CUMS group received 0.5 ml of deionized water once a day by intragastrically administration. Rats in the two treatment groups received XYS (2.224g/kg/d) and fluoxetine (2.0mg/kg/d) once a day, respectively. Rat hippocampus GFAP and Glu-NMDA receptor were respectively detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot. The CORT of HPA axis was detected by Elisa. Body weight, food intake, and behavioral tests, such as open field tests, the sucrose preference test, and exhaustive swimming test, were used to assess depressive-like behavior in rats.ResultsIn this work, significant behavioral changes and differences in expression of the CORT of HPA axis and hippocampal GFAP and Glu-NMDA receptor were presented in CUMS-exposed rats. Like fluoxetine, XYS improved CUMS-induced rat’s body weight, food intake, and depressive-like behavior. The study also proved that XYS could reverse the CUMS-induced changes of the CORT of HPA axis and affect the astrocytic activities and down-regulate the NR2B subunit of NMDA receptor (NR2B) level in the hippocampus.ConclusionChanges in the hippocampus GFAP and Glu-NMDA receptor may be an essential mechanism of depression. Besides, XYS may be critical to the treatment of depression by intervention the HPA axis, GFAP and Glu-NMDA receptor.
Highlights
Due to the accelerated pace of life, depression is a common mental health problem in modern society [1]
On the 21st day of Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), the rats in the model group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference between XYS and fluoxetine group; on the 42nd day of modeling, the rats in the model group were significantly lower than the control group, XYS group and fluoxetine group (P < 0.01)
Data were expressed as means ± standard errors of the means (SEM) (n = 20), *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 versus the control group; DP < 0.05, DDP < 0.01 versus the model group
Summary
Due to the accelerated pace of life, depression is a common mental health problem in modern society [1]. The neuroendocrine system of the body will produce pathophysiological changes [2], such as pyramidal cell atrophy, astrocyte dysfunction, and related signaling pathway changes that cause the hippocampus nerve regeneration disorders. It causes memory loss, anxiety, and behavioral abnormalities, and causes depressive symptoms or aggravating the emotional chaos of depressed patients [3, 4]. Research on astrocyte has become a hot spot in the study of the pathophysiological mechanism of depression and even other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. The regulation of astrocytes is expected to become an essential target for the prevention and treatment of depression [9]
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