title: Ethanol extracts from Hemerocallis citrina attenuate the decreases of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, TrkB levels in rat induced by corticosterone administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemerocallis citrina, a traditional herbal medicine, has been used for the improvement of behavioral and emotional status in Eastern-Asia countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our previous studies have demonstrated that the ethanol extracts of H. citrina flowers (HCE) reversed the behavioral alterations and monoamine neurotransmitter dysfunctions in stressed mice. However, the relation of its antidepressant-like action with neurotrophic molecular expressions remains unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  To clarify this, we explored the effect of HCE (32.5, 65, 130mg/kg, p.o.) on the behavior, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor (TrkB) in depression-like rats induced by exogenous administration of the stress hormone corticosterone (40mg/kg, s.c.).
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was observed that repeated administration of corticosterone induced an elevation on the serum corticosterone levels, which caused the abnormalities observed in the sucrose preference test and forced swimming test (FST). Administration of HCE (65 and 130mg/kg) reversed the changes above and up-regulated the BDNF and TrkB receptor protein expressions in the brain region of frontal cortex and hippocampus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings confirm that HCE produce an antidepressant-like effect in corticosterone-induced depression-like model of rats and this effect is at least partly mediated by BDNF-TrkB signaling in the frontal cortex and hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian province, PR China. litao.yi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Li-Tao
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Huo-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Bi-Fang
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Ke-Feng
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yan-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D035264:Flowers; D031421:Hemerocallis; D008297:Male; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000235:genetics; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012997:Solvents; D000431:Ethanol; D020813:Receptor, trkB; D003345:Corticosterone