Fuzi polysaccharide-1 produces antidepressant-like effects in mice.
Current antidepressants are clinically effective only after several weeks of administration. We show that Fuzi polysaccharide-1 (FPS), a new water-soluble polysaccharide isolated from Fuzi, which has been used to treat mood disorders in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, increases the number of newborn cells in the dentate gyrus in adult mice, and most of these cells subsequently differentiate into new neurons. We also found that FPS administration reduces immobility in the forced swim test, and latency in the novelty suppressed-feeding test. Moreover, a 14-d regimen with FPS reverses avoidance behaviour and inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis induced by chronic defeat stress. In contrast, imipramine, a well known antidepressant, reverses this avoidance behaviour only after 4 wk of continuous administration. Finally, acute treatment with FPS had no effect on brain monoamine levels in frontal cortex but significantly increases BDNF in the hippocampus, while the antidepressant effect and enhancement of cell proliferation induced by FPS administration were totally blocked by K252a, an inhibitor of trkB in a chronic social defeat depression model, suggesting that the neurogenic and antidepressant effects of FPS may involve BDNF signalling. In conclusion, our findings suggest that FPS could be developed as a putative antidepressant with a rapid onset of action.
Yan
Hua-Cheng
HC
Department of Neurobiology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Qu
Hong-Da
HD
Sun
Li-Rong
LR
Li
Shu-Ji
SJ
Cao
Xiong
X
Fang
Ying-Ying
YY
Jie
Wei
W
Bean
Jonathan C
JC
Wu
Wei-Kang
WK
Zhu
Xin-Hong
XH
Gao
Tian-Ming
TM
D031841:Aconitum; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D005936:Glucans / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018517:Plant Roots; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011897:Random Allocation
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D005936:Glucans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011134:Polysaccharides