title: Schisandra chinensis produces the antidepressant-like effects in repeated corticosterone-induced mice via the BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway.
abstract: The present study aimed to examine the antidepressant-like effects and the possible mechanisms of Schisandra chinensis on depressive-like behavior induced by repeated corticosterone injections in mice. Here we evaluated the effect of an ethanol extract of the dried fruit of S. chinensis (EESC) on BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Three weeks of corticosterone injections in mice resulted in depressive-like behavior, as indicated by the significant decrease in sucrose consumption and increase the immobility time in the forced swim test, but without any influence on the locomotor activity. Further, there was a significant increase in serum corticosterone level and a significant downregulation of BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in CORT-treated mice. Treatment of mice with EESC (600mg/kg) significantly ameliorated all the behavioral and biochemical changes induced by corticosterone. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of BDNF signaling by K252a abolished entirely the antidepressant-like effect triggered by chronic EESC treatment. These results suggest that EESC produces an antidepressant-like effect in CORT-induced depression in mice, which is possibly mediated, at least in part, by rectifying the stress-based hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction paradigm and upregulation of BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Tingxu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Mengjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Shutong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Mengshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China.
authors.forename: Kaishun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: School of Functional Food and wine, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang 110016, PR China. Electronic address: jiayingsyphu@126.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000378:metabolism; D032141:Schisandra; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D010936:Plant Extracts; D020813:Receptor, trkB; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Antidepressant-like effect; BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling; Corticosterone; HPA axis; Schisandra chinensis