title: Involvement of nitric oxide (NO) signaling pathway in the antidepressant action of the total flavonoids extracted from Xiaobuxin-Tang.
abstract: Our previous studies have demonstrated that the total flavonoids (XBXT-2) isolated from the extract of Xiaobuxin-Tang (XBXT), a traditional Chinese herbal decoction, exerted antidepressant-like effects. Recently, accumulating studies have suggested that l-arginine-NO is implicated in the regulation of depression. Therefore, the aim of current study attempts to explore the involvement of l-arginine-NO pathway in the antidepressant-like effect of XBXT-2 in the mouse forced swim test (FST). Our results showed that the antidepressant-like action of XBXT-2 (100mg/kg, i.g.) was reversed by pretreatment with l-arginine (a nitric oxide precursor, 750mg/kg, i.p.). While co-administration of aminoguanidine (a specific inducible NOS inhibitor, 40, 80mg/kg, i.p.) and sub-effective dose of XBXT-2 (50mg/kg, i.g.) did not significantly alter the immobility in FST. In contrast, combined administration of 7-nitroindazole (a specific neuronal NOS inhibitor, 50mg/kg, i.p.) potentiated the antidepressant-like effect of non-effective doses of XBXT-2 (50mg/kg, i.g.). Meanwhile, NO modulators were devoid of any locomotor effects on the animals. In conclusion, the antidepressant-like action of XBXT-2 may be involvement of NO signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Haidian, Beijing 100850, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, 309 Hospital of PLA, 17 Heishanhu Road, Haidian, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Heng-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Haidian, Beijing 100850, China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Haidian, Beijing 100850, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Xia
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Haidian, Beijing 100850, China. Electronic address: lyf619@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Yun-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of New Drug Evaluation, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Taiping Road, Haidian, Beijing 100850, China. Electronic address: 13901363887@163.com.
authors.forename: You-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006146:Guanidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D007191:Indazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005419:Flavonoids; D006146:Guanidines; D007191:Indazoles; C532342:xiaobuxin-tang; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; C004479:pimagedine; C080122:7-nitroindazole
keywords: Antidepressant-like effect; Forced swim test; Nitric oxide; Xiaobuxin-Tang