title: The antidepressant effect of Gastrodia elata Bl. on the forced-swimming test in rats.
abstract: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder with a high morbidity and mortality rate. The pharmacotherapy used in clinic today is not suitable for all patients and causes certain side-effects. Thus, looking for alternative treatments with antidepressant effect and minimal side-effect is important. Gastrodia elata Bl. is a famous Chinese traditional medicine used for centuries. The aim of this study is to test the antidepressant effect of Gastrodia elata Bl. extract (GE) using forced-swimming test (FST). Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to control, GE, and fluoxetine groups, treated with 10 ml/kg bw (body weight) water, 1 g/kg bw of GE, and 15 mg/kg bw of fluoxetine, respectively. Those samples were administered by gavage to rats 23.5, 4.5 and 1 hour prior to the test session of FST. After FST, the animals were sacrificed and their brains were collected for monoamines analysis. The results indicated that the duration of immobility was significantly decreased in GE group compared to the control (p < 0.05). The concentration of serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and the ratio of 5-HIAA/5-HT in frontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus were not significantly different between GE and the control groups. However, administration of GE significantly increased the dopamine (DA) concentration (p < 0.05) and decreased the concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (p < 0.01) and DA turnover (p < 0.05) in striatum compared to the control. The results of this study show that Gastrodia elata Bl. extract modulates the turnover of DA in rats, and thus probably possesses antidepressant effect in rats.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Ju
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ching-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Kuan-Pin
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Yu-Chi
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Hsiu-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: I-Hsin
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Lee-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Sheen
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D031668:Gastrodia; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid