title: A novel herbal treatment reduces depressive-like behaviors and increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in the brain of type 2 diabetic rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Radix Puerariae and hawthorn fruit have been demonstrated to treat diabetes. They offer potential benefits for preventing depression in diabetes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate whether the combination of Radix Puerariae and hawthorn fruit (CRPHF) could prevent depression in a diabetic rat model generated by feeding the rats with a high-fat diet and a low-dose streptozotocin (STZ).
  
  
  METHODS
  The CRPHF was provided by the Shanghai Chinese Traditional Medical University. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control, normal-given-CRPHF (NC), diabetic control, and diabetic-given-CRPHF (DC) groups. The type 2 diabetic model was created by feeding the rats with a high-fat diet for 4 weeks followed by injection of 25 mg/kg STZ. CRPHF was given at 2 g/kg/d to the rats of NC and DC groups by intragastric gavage daily for 4 weeks after the type 2 diabetic model was successfully created. Body weight, random blood glucose (RBG), oral glucose tolerance test, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured during the study. Depressive-like behavior was evaluated at the end of the treatment by using the open field test (OFT), the elevated plus-maze test (EPMT), locomotor activity test (LAT), and forced swimming test (FST). Levels of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex were evaluated by using Western blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1) CRPHF reduced RBG and improved glucose tolerance in diabetic rats; 2) CRPHF reduced TC and TG but did not significantly change HDL-C or LDL-C in diabetic rats; 3) CRPHF reversed the loss in body weights observed in diabetic rats; 4) CRPHF reduced depressive-like behavior as measured by OFT, EPMT, LAT, and FST; 5) BDNF was upregulated, and ERK was activated in the prefrontal cortex of diabetic rats treated with CRPHF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CRPHF has the potential of preventing depression in patients with diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Yuting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Fuyan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Ningbo Medical Center, Li Huili Eastern Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yisheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Runliang Diabetes Laboratory, Diabetes Research Center, Ningbo University.
authors.forename: Shizhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bu
keywords: BDNF; Crataegus; Puerarin; depression; diabetes mellitus