title: Antidepressant-like effect of liquiritin from Glycyrrhiza uralensis in chronic variable stress induced depression model rats.
abstract: Many flavonoids extracted from nature plants have been reported to exert antidepressant-like effect in animal studies. The present study was designed to observe the effects of liquiritin, a flavone compound derived from Glycyrrhiza uralensis, on the behaviors of chronic variable stress induced depression model rats and to explore the possible association between its antidepressant-like effect and antioxidative activity by measuring erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) level of the experimental animals. With the exposure to stressor once daily for consecutive 5 weeks, liquiritin and a positive control drug fluoxetine were administered via gastric intubation to rats once daily for consecutive 3 weeks from the 3rd week. The results showed that CVS reduced open-field activity and sucrose consumption significantly, but increased immobility time in forced swimming test. Treatment of liquiritin could effectively reverse alteration in immobility time and sucrose consumption but did not show significant effect on open-field activity. Moreover, liquiritin could increase SOD activity, inhibit lipid peroxidation, and lessen production of MDA, while fluoxetine did not. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated a potential antidepressant-like effect of liquiritin treatment on chronic variable stress induced depression model rats, which might be related to defense of liquiritin against oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, 51 Huayuan Bei Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhiyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Weixing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hongzhu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Dongfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D044950:Flavanones / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects; D005960:Glucosides / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D029882:Glycyrrhiza uralensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D013550:Swimming; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D044950:Flavanones; D005960:Glucosides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C512196:liquiritin