title: Baicalin decreases SGK1 expression in the hippocampus and reverses depressive-like behaviors induced by corticosterone.
abstract: The present study was to investigate whether baicalin can prevent repeated exogenous corticosterone injection-induced depressive-like behaviors and explore its possible mechanisms. After a 21-day treatment with baicalin (10 and 20 mg/kg), sucrose preference in the sucrose preference test (SPT) and immobility time in forced swimming test (FST) were observed, serum corticosterone levels and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contents in the hippocampus were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. The results showed that 21-day cortiscosterone injections caused depressive-like behaviors in mice, including the reduced sucrose preference and increased duration of immobility. Baicalin reversed these behavioral changes described above and restored serum corticosterone levels. Additionally, baicalin up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and BDNF, accompanied with the down-regulation of serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) in the hippocampus. Moreover, baicalin significantly increased the protein expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 (11β-HSD2) in the hippocampus. The present results confirmed the antidepressant-like effects of baicalin in a mice model of depression induced by corticosterone and suggested that its mechanism was possibly involved in reducing serum corticosterone and thereby increasing BDNF in the hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China. Electronic address: Liyucheng@hactcm.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Y-C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: L-L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: Y-Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: J-D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: H-B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Experiment center of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Science and Technology, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: B-Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Experiment center of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Science and Technology, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, PR China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D043209:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism; D013550:Swimming; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000099184:Serum-Glucocorticoid Regulated Kinases
chemical_list: D043209:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D003345:Corticosterone; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005419:Flavonoids; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D000099184:Serum-Glucocorticoid Regulated Kinases; C038044:baicalin
keywords: baicalin; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; cortiscosterone; depression; serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1