Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2014, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (5): 489-497.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.130067

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Shuganjieyu capsule increases neurotrophic factor expression in a rat model of depression

Jinhua Fu 1, 2, Yingjin Zhang 3, Renrong Wu 1, Yingjun Zheng 4, Xianghui Zhang 1, Mei Yang 2, Jingping Zhao 1, Yong Liu 1   

  1. 1 Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South
    University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
    2 Department of Psychiatry, Brain Hospital of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
    3 Laboratory of Ethnopharmacology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
    4 Guangzhou Brain Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • Received:2014-02-22 Online:2014-03-12 Published:2014-03-12
  • Contact: Jingping Zhao, M.D., Ph.D., Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China, zhaojingpingcsu@163.com. Yong Liu, Ph.D., Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China, csuliuyong@163.com.

Abstract:

Shuganjieyu capsule has been approved for clinical treatment by the State Food and Drug Administration of China since 2008. In the clinic, Shuganjieyu capsule is often used to treat mild to moderate depression. In the rat model of depression established in this study, Shuganjieyu capsule was administered intragastrically daily before stress. Behavioral results confirmed that depressive symptoms lessened after treatment with high-dose (150 mg/kg) Shuganjieyu capsule. Immunohistochemistry results showed that high-dose Shuganjieyu capsule significantly increased phosphorylation levels of phosphorylation cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampal CA3 area. Overall, our results suggest that in rats, Shuganjieyu capsule effectively reverses depressive-like behaviors by increasing expression levels of neurotrophic factors in the brain.

Key words: nerve regeneration, Shuganjieyu capsule, depression, neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, phosphorylation cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein, chronic unpredictable mild stress, NSFC grant, neural regeneration

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