Abstract
Background Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai extract (SQE) or dwarf bamboo has been extensively investigated for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects; however, no previous study assessed its effect as an antidepressant agent. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the effect of oral SQE administration in ameliorating menopausal depressive symptoms and to evaluate its mechanisms in ovariectomized rats with repeated stress. Methods All experimental groups except normal group underwent ovariectomy and then immobilization for 14 consecutive days. During these 2 weeks, two rat groups received SQE (100 and 300 mg/kg orally) and their cutaneous body temperature was measured. The tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) were performed in order to evaluate depression-like behavior. Additionally, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry were carried out to evaluate the central monoaminergic neurotransmitter levels and activity. Results Oral SQE (100 mg/kg) administration had reduced immobility time in TST and FST. Additionally, the SQE 100 and 300 mg/kg administration had decreased the cutaneous body temperature in the rats compared to those without treatment. In ELISA analysis, the SQE 100 group expressed elevated levels of serotonin and dopamine in the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Antityrosine hydroxylase (anti-TH) antibodies showed a tremendous increase in the density of TH positive cells in the locus coeruleus (LC) region of the SQE 100 group. Likewise, the SQE 100 elevated the number of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) and protein kinase C (PKC) immunoreactive cell counts and density in the hypothalamic region. Conclusion These results suggested that the oral SQE administration induced the antidepressant-like effect in the ovariectomized rats with repeated stress via upregulating the levels of serotonin and dopamine through enhancing the expression of TH, TPH, and PKC in many brain areas.
Highlights
Major depressive disorders (MDD) are serious mood diseases that cause heavy economic and health burden since they affect 322 million people worldwide
Mean Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH)-IR density antifatigue effect on locomotor activity in the mice [27,28,29,30, 33, 47]; no previous study presented the effect of oral Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai extract (SQE) administration on neurotransmitters or as an antidepressant drug in the menopausal animal model
This study was designed to investigate the effect of oral SQE on the ovariectomized rats with repeated stress and to explore its mechanisms that exhibited the antidepressant-like effect
Summary
Major depressive disorders (MDD) are serious mood diseases that cause heavy economic and health burden since they affect 322 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization published a report indicating that the depressive disorders’ prevalence is higher in women especially during the menopausal period due to the fluctuation of the sexual hormones levels [1]. This study was designed to examine the effect of oral SQE administration in ameliorating menopausal depressive symptoms and to evaluate its mechanisms in ovariectomized rats with repeated stress. All experimental groups except normal group underwent ovariectomy and immobilization for 14 consecutive days During these 2 weeks, two rat groups received SQE (100 and 300 mg/kg orally) and their cutaneous body temperature was measured. These results suggested that the oral SQE administration induced the antidepressant-like effect in the ovariectomized rats with repeated stress via upregulating the levels of serotonin and dopamine through enhancing the expression of TH, TPH, and PKC in many brain areas
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