Traditional herbal formula Sini Powder extract produces antidepressant-like effects through stress-related mechanisms in rats.
Sini Powder (SP), a traditional Chinese herbal formula, has long been used to treat depression in patients, although the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we found that rats treated with SP extract for 7 days showed a significant increase in swimming time and reduction in immobility time in forced swimming test in a dose-dependent manner, without changes in locomotion. These effects could be attributed to SP's modulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, because a single pretreatment of SP extract could rescue increased serum corticosterone and plasma adrenocorticotropin levels induced by acute elevated platform stress. A single pretreatment of SP extract could also elevate the mRNA expression of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors. In conclusion, our results suggest that SP extract may act as an anti-stress medication to produce antidepressant-like effects.
School of Basic Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Shan-Shan
SS
Wei
Department of Drug Screening, Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica, Kunming 650111, China.
He-Jin
HJ
Yang
Department of Drug Screening, Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica, Kunming 650111, China.
Jia-Wen
JW
Huang
Department of Drug Screening, Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica, Kunming 650111, China.
Xue-Ping
XP
Lu
Department of Drug Screening, Yunnan Institute of Materia Medica, Kunming 650111, China.
Ling-Fang
LF
Peng
School of Basic Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China. Electronic address: wangqg8558@sina.com.
Qing-Guo
QG
Wang
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone
Antidepressant-like; Glucocorticoid receptor; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Sini Powder extract