title: [Screening of antidepressant fractions of banxia houpu decoction].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen the antidepressant fractions of Banxia Houpu Decoction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Behavioral despair models in mice were used to evaluate antidepressant activities and the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in regions of animal brains were determined with spectrophotofluoremetry method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The extract of Banxia Houpu Decoction (AE) and its four fractions were able to elicit time-dependent reducing of duration of immobility in the tail suspension test and the forced swimming test in mice. Among these test samples, AE, petrol fraction (AE-1) and water soluble fraction (AE-4) were more potent, but there was no significant difference between them. AE significantly increased 5-HT level in mice striatum and NE level in mice cortex, respectively, and did not affect any monoamine neurotransmitters in other regions of animal brain. AE-1 elevated 5-HT level in the striatum and the NE and DA level in the cortex, chloroform fraction (AE-2) only significantly increased DA level in cortex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Banxia Houpu Decoction has antidepressant effect. The active parts are in AE-1 and AE-4. The antidepressant action of Banxia Houpu Decoction is probably by mediated in part through many monoamine neurotransmitter systems.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Ye-min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ling-dong
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Zhi-qi
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002725:Chloroform / Q000737:chemistry; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D031566:Magnolia / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D030021:Pinellia / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; C120141:Banxia Houpo Tang; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D012701:Serotonin; D000431:Ethanol; D002725:Chloroform; D004298:Dopamine