[Antidepressant effects of piperine and its neuroprotective mechanism in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the antidepressant effects of piperine in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rats and to explore the underlying mechanisms in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.


METHODS
Fifty rats were housed alone and exposed to an unpredicted sequence of mild stressors to induce CUMS, and then were divided into untreated group, desipramine group and low-, medium- and high-dose piperine groups. Another 10 normal rats were used as normal control. The behavior of the rats was detected by body weight and sucrose preference test, and the serum levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) in different groups were observed by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
The results indicated that after 21-day administration, piperine at concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/kg could significantly improve the behavioral disorder by increasing sucrose consumption. Piperione at concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg could remarkably reduce serum ACTH and CRH levels in the CUMS rats, but had little effect on the content of CORT.


CONCLUSIONS
Piperine can relieve depression in CUMS rats by modulating the function of HPA axis.
Hu
Yuan
Y
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, General Hospital of People's Liberation Army of China, Beijing 100853, China.
Liao
Hong-bo
HB
Liu
Ping
P
Guo
Dai-hong
DH
Wang
Yu-yu
YY
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052117:Benzodioxoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000470:Alkaloids; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D052117:Benzodioxoles; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010880:Piperidines; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; C008922:piperine