The Antidepressant-like Effect of Ethanol Extract of Daylily Flowers ( Jīn Zhēn Huā) in Rats.
According to the prediction of the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) report, depression will be the highest burden disease by the year 2030. Daylily flower ( Jīn Zhēn Huā ; the flower of Hemerocallis fulva) is traditionally used for soothing in Chinese dietary therapy. The major flavonoid of daylily flowers, rutin, is also characterized to be an antidepressant. In this study, we investigated the antidepressant effects of ethanol extract of daylily flowers (DFEtoH) and rutin by forced swimming test (FST) and neurotransmitter metabolism of brain regions (frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and amygdala). Results show that either short- or long-term tests, the extract and rutin significantly reduce the immobility time and increased swimming time of FST, which are compared with the vehicle (P < 0.05). The extract and rutin also increase the serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine concentration of these brain regions (P < 0.05). In long-term tests, the daylily flowers extract markedly increased serotonin concentration and reduced serotonin turnover rate in these brain regions but not frontal cortex. In conclusion, present data illustrated that DFEtoH does have antidepressant-like effects possibly via the regulation of serotonergic system. Moreover, rutin might be playing a very important role in the antidepressant-like effects of DFEtoH.
Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. ; Contributed equally.
Shih-Hang
SH
Lin
Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. ; Contributed equally.
Hui-Chi
HC
Chang
Graduate Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Pei-Ju
PJ
Chen
Graduate Institute of Integration Chinese and Western Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Ching-Liang
CL
Hsieh
Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Kuan-Pin
KP
Su
Contributed equally.
Lee-Yan
LY
Sheen
Antidepressant; Daylily; Forced swimming test; Hemerocallis fulva; Serotonergic system