title: [Effect of Shuyusan on neuropeptide Y and serotonin expression in the hippocampal neurons of rats with chronic mild unpredictable stress-induced depression].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of Shuyusan decoction on neuropeptide Y (NPY) and serotonin (5-HT) expression in the hippocampus and plasma of rats with chronic mild unpredictable stressors depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, namely the normal control group, model group, fluoxetine group, and high- and low-dose Shuyusan groups. Except for those in the normal control group, all the rats were subjected to chronic mild unpredicted stress for 21 consecutive days with corresponding treatments. Open-field test was used to assess the behavioral changes of the rats. The content of NPY in the hippocampus and plasma was detected by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunocytochemistry was used to determine the expression of 5-HT in the hippocampus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NPY levels in the hippocampus and plasma was significantly decreased in the model group as compared with that in the normal control group (P<0.05). Treatments with fluoxetine and high-dose Shuyusan both significantly increased NPY levels in the hippocampus and plasma in the depressive rats (P<0.05), resulting also in significantly increased 5-HT-immunoreactive neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus and the average optical density (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Shuyusan decoction can effectively increase plasma and hippocampus NPY levels and the number of 5-HT-positive neurons in the cerebral cortex and happocampus of rats with chronic mild unpredictable stress-induced depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China. lipingschen@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Li-ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Fa-wei
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dong-mei
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Ya-zhuo
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D012701:Serotonin