title: Hippocampal BDNF signaling restored with chronic asiaticoside treatment in depression-like mice.
abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a key role in the regulation of depression in the brain. Recently, increasing studies have focused on the antidepressant-like mechanism of BDNF and its downstream signaling pathway. A previous study has shown that asiaticoside produced an antidepressant-like action in the mouse tail suspension test and forced swimming test. However, the neurotrophic mechanism that is affected by asiaticoside is unclear. Our present study aimed to verify whether asiaticoside produces an antidepressant-like effect through the activation of BDNF signaling in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The results showed that mice treated with asiaticoside for four weeks reversed the decreased sucrose preference and increased immobility time that was observed in CUMS mice. In addition, we found that asiaticoside up-regulated BDNF, PSD-95 and synapsin I expression only in the hippocampus but not in the frontal cortex in both non-stressed and CUMS mice. However, K252a, an inhibitor of BDNF receptor tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB), completely abolished the antidepressant-like effect of asiaticoside. Moreover, the expression of hippocampal BDNF, PSD-95 and synapsin I that had increased with asiaticoside also declined with K252a pretreatment. In conclusion, our study implies that it is possible that asiaticoside exerts its antidepressant-like action by activating BDNF signaling in the hippocampus.
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Liu
authors: L
authors: Luo
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Xiao-Long
authors: XL
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Rong-Hao
authors: RH
authors: Mu
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Yong-Jing
authors: YJ
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Bin-Bin
authors: BB
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Di
authors: D
authors: Geng
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China.
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian Province, PR China. Electronic address: litao.yi@yahoo.com.
authors: Li-Tao
authors: LT
authors: Yi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D002491:Central Nervous System Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051528:Guanylate Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D026121:Indole Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011897:Random Allocation; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D002227:Carbazoles; D002491:Central Nervous System Agents; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501447:Dlg4 protein, mouse; D026121:Indole Alkaloids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016704:Synapsins; D014315:Triterpenes; C049985:staurosporine aglycone; D020813:Receptor, trkB; D051528:Guanylate Kinases; C004446:asiaticoside
keywords: Antidepressant; Asiaticoside; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Chronic unpredictable mild stress