title: Essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum reverses the deficits of stress-induced behaviors and hippocampal p-ERK/p-CREB/brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression.
abstract: Syzygium aromaticum has been widely used in traditional medicine. Our study investigated the safety and antidepressant-like effects of the essential oil of S. aromaticum after acute or long-term treatment. Using GC-MS, a total of eight volatile constituents were identified in the essential oil of S. aromaticum. The single LD50 was approximately 4500 mg/kg based on a 24-h acute oral toxicity study. In a long-term repeated toxicity study of this essential oil (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p. o.), only 400 mg/kg induced a significant decrease in body weight. In addition, no significant changes in relative organ weights and histopathological analysis were observed in all doses of essential oil-treated mice compared with the control group. Furthermore, acute S. aromaticum essential oil administration by gavage exerted antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test (200 mg/kg, p < 0.05) and tail suspension test (100 and 200 mg/kg, p < 0.05). Long-term S. aromaticum essential oil treatment via gavage significantly increased sucrose preference (50 mg/kg, p < 0.05; 100 and 200 mg/kg, p < 0.01) as well as elevated the protein levels of hippocampal p-ERK, p-CREB, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. These results confirmed the safety of the essential oil of S. aromaticum and suggested that its potent antidepressant-like property might be attributed to the improvement in the hippocampal pERK1/2-pCREB-BDNF pathway in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bin-Bin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shao-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xue-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Tao
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005518:Food Preferences; D019417:Hindlimb Suspension; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013550:Swimming; D027842:Syzygium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013395:Sucrose; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases