title: Antidepressant-like effects of Sanyuansan in the mouse forced swim test, tail suspension test, and chronic mild stress model.
abstract: Natural products have been widely reported as effective therapeutic alternatives for treatment of depression. Sanyuansan is a compound recipe composed of ginseng total saponins, fish oil, and valeriana. The aims of this study were to validate whether Sanyuansan has antidepressant-like effects through acute behavioral tests including the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), locomotor activity test, and chronic mild stress (CMS) mice model of depression. C57BL/6 mice were given oral administration of 30 mg/kg imipramine, Sanyuansan, and saline, respectively. The acute behavioral tests including the TST, FST, and locomotor activity test were done after the administration of drugs for consecutively three times (24 hours, 1 hour, and 0.5 hour prior to the tests). Furthermore, the sucrose preference and the serum corticosterone level of mice in the CMS model were examined. Sanyuansan only at 900 mg/kg markedly reduced immobility time in the TST compared with the saline-treated group of mice. Sanyuansan at doses of 225 mg/kg, 450 mg/kg, and 900 mg/kg significantly reduced immobility time of mice in the FST. Sanyuansan reversed the CMS-induced anhedonia and hyperactivation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. In addition, our results showed that neither imipramine nor Sanyuansan at any dosage increased spontaneous motor activity. These results suggested that Sanyuansan induced significant antidepressant-like effects in mice in both acute and chronic animal models, which seemed unlikely to be attributed to an increase in locomotor activities of mice, and had no sedative-like effects.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources Development of Sichuan Education Commission, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: ysghost@qq.com.
authors.forename: Zi-Li
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Ying
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Systematic Study and Exploitation Utilization of Tradition Chinese Medicine Resources, Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources Development of Sichuan Education Commission, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources Development of Sichuan Education Commission, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Gou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medicinal and Edible Plants Resources Development of Sichuan Education Commission, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D059445:Anhedonia / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005518:Food Preferences; D019417:Hindlimb Suspension; D007103:Immobilization; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013395:Sucrose; D013550:Swimming; D013623:Tail; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D012503:Saponins; C000617411:sanyuansan; D013395:Sucrose; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Antidepressant; Chronic mild stress (CMS); Forced swimming test (FST); Sanyuansan; Tail suspension test (TST)