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Guo N, Wang X, Xu M, Bai J, Yu H, Le Zhang. PI3K/AKT signaling pathway: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential in depression. Pharmacol Res 2024; 206:107300. [PMID: 38992850 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Depression is a serious global mental disorder. Numerous studies have found that depression may be closely related to decreased neurogenesis, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter imbalance, and synaptic plasticity dysfunction. The pathogenesis of depression is complex and involves multiple signal transduction pathways and molecular changes. The PI3K/AKT pathway is an essential signaling pathways in neurons, which is widely expressed in emotion-related regions of the brain. Therefore, the PI3K/AKT pathway may play a moderating role in mood disorders. However, the role and mechanism of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in depression have not been fully described. This review systematically summarized the role of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of depression and discussed its potential in the treatment of depression. This will help in the treatment of depression and the development of antidepressants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Guo
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Radiation Therapy, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Muran Xu
- Clinical College, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Jie Bai
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
| | - Hao Yu
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
| | - Le Zhang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
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Xu J, Zhou L, Chen Z, Wang Y, Xu F, Kuang Q, Zhang Y, Zheng H. Bacillus coagulans and Clostridium butyricum synergistically alleviate depression in a chronic unpredictable mild stress mouse model through altering gut microbiota and prefrontal cortex gene expression. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1393874. [PMID: 38855745 PMCID: PMC11158626 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1393874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) has gradually increased and has attracted widespread attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a probiotic compound consisting of Bacillus coagulans and Clostridium butyricum, on a mouse depression model. Methods: Mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and then treated with the probiotics at different concentrations. And mice received behavior test such as forced swimming test and tail suspension test. After that, all mice were sacrificed and the samples were collected for analysis. Moreover, prefrontal cortex (PFC) gene expression and the gut microbiota among different groups were also analyzed. Results: Probiotics improved depressive-like behavior in CUMS mice, as indicated by decreased immobility time (p < 0.05) in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test. probiotics intervention also increased the level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the prefrontal cortex and decreased the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level in serum. In addition, by comparing the PFC gene expression among different groups, we found that the genes upregulated by probiotics were enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we found that downregulated genes in prefrontal cortex of CUMS group such as Sfrp5 and Angpt2, which were correlated with depression, were reversed by the probiotics. Furthermore, the probiotics altered the structure of the gut microbiota, and reversed the reduction of cob(II)yrinate a,c-diamide biosynthesis I pathway in CUMS group. Several species like Bacteroides caecimuris and Parabacteroides distasoni, whose abundance was significantly decreased in the CUMS group but reversed after the probiotics intervention, showed significantly positive correlation with depression associated genes such as Tbxas1 and Cldn2. Discussion: These findings suggested that CUMS-induced depression-like behavior can be alleviated by the probiotics, possibly through alterations in the PFC gene expression and gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Xu
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaowei Chen
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuezhu Wang
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Xu
- The Academician Workstation, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qun Kuang
- Jiangsu Limited Company of Suwei Microbiology, Wuxi, China
| | - Yixuan Zhang
- School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Huajun Zheng
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, China
- The Academician Workstation, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Kim DY, Son SR, Kim JY, Min JW, Kong CH, Park K, Jeon M, Kang WC, Jung SY, Choi JH, Jang DS, Ryu JH. Effects of Artemisia annua L. on postmenopausal syndrome in ovariectomized mice. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 317:116800. [PMID: 37331451 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae) has been used as an antipyretic and anti-parasitic drug in traditional medicine for more than 2000 years. It has also been prescribed to treat symptoms caused by deficiency of Yin, which might be observed in menopausal state from the point of view of traditional medicine. AIM OF THE STUDY We hypothesized that A. annua might be useful for treating menopausal disorders with less adverse effects than hormone replacement therapy. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate effects of A. annua on postmenopausal symptoms of ovariectomized (OVX) mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS OVX mice were employed as a model for postmenopausal disorders. Mice were treated with a water extract of A. annua (EAA; 30, 100 or 300 mg/kg, p.o.) or 17β-estradiol (E2; 0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) for 8 weeks. Open field test (OFT), novel object recognition task (NOR), Y-maze test, elevated plus maze test (EPM), splash test and tail suspension test (TST) were conducted to determine whether EAA could ameliorate postmenopausal symptoms. Phosphorylated levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), protein kinase B (Akt), and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), β-catenin and expression level of synaptophysin in the cortex and hippocampus were evaluated by Western blot analysis. RESULTS EAA treatment significantly increased the discrimination index in NOR, decreased the time in closed arm than in open arm in EPM, increased grooming time in splash test, and decreased immobility time in TST, as did E2 treatment. In addition, decreased phosphorylation levels of ERK, Akt, GSK-3β, and β-catenin and expression levels of synaptophysin in the cortex and hippocampus after OVX were reversed by administration of EAA and E2. CONCLUSION These results suggest that A. annua can ameliorate postmenopausal symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, anhedonia, and depression by activating ERK, Akt, and GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway and hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and that A. annua would be a novel treatment for postmenopausal symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Do Yeon Kim
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - So-Ri Son
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Youn Kim
- Department of Integrated Drug Development and Natural Products, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Won Min
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang Hyeon Kong
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Keontae Park
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Mijin Jeon
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo Chang Kang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo Yun Jung
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Hye Choi
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Sik Jang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong Hoon Ryu
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
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Zhou R, Wang Z, Zhou B, Yu Z, Wu C, Hou J, Cheng K, Liu TC. Estrogen receptors mediate the antidepressant effects of aerobic exercise: A possible new mechanism. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1040828. [PMID: 36570542 PMCID: PMC9780551 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1040828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to examine whether aerobic exercise exerts mood-modulating effects through an estrogen signaling mechanism. Method The experiment was divided into two parts. The first part is to compare the three modeling methods to obtain the most obvious method of depression-like phenotype for further study in the second part. The first part of ovariectomized rats (age, 13 weeks) was tested when rats were 14 or 22 weeks old or in the sixth week after 3 weeks of chronic restraint stress. The second part was to treat the animals with the most obvious depression-like phenotype in different ways, placebo treatment or estradiol (E2) replacement therapy was administered, aerobic training, or estrogen receptor antagonist treatment. The cognitive (Barnes maze and 3-chamber social tests), anxiety-like (open-field and elevated plus maze tests) and depression-like (sucrose preference and forced swim tests) behaviors of rats in both parts were analyzed to study the effects of estrogen depletion and aerobic exercise. Results Rats did not develop depressive symptoms immediately after ovariectomy, however, the symptoms became more pronounced with a gradual decrease in ovarian hormone levels. Compared with the placebo or control groups, the exercise and E2 groups showed improved performance in all behavioral test tasks, and the antidepressant effects of aerobic exercise were comparable to those of estrogen. Moreover, the estrogen receptor antagonist has markedly inhibited the antidepressant effects of aerobic exercise. Conclusion Estrogen receptors may mediate the antidepressant effects of aerobic exercise. In addition, an increasingly fragile ovarian hormonal environment may underlies chronic restraint stress-induced depression.
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Selection of the Male or Female Sex in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Induced Animal Models of Depression. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:2602276. [PMID: 35813234 PMCID: PMC9262579 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2602276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Depression is a serious public health problem and an important factor leading to disease-related disability. Influenced by many factors, such as psychological, hormonal, and genetic factors, the incidence rate of depression in females is approximately two times that in males. However, in preclinical neuroscience research, the selection of the animals' sex for use in depression models has been controversial. At present, in most preclinical studies, the animals generally chosen in depression models have been male rodents rather than female rodents. It remains doubtful whether the data obtained from male animals can be generalized to female animals. The performance of female animals in preclinical studies of depression has been inconclusive. Based on a review of a large number of original studies in the PubMed database, it was found that although male rodents are more commonly used in the study of depression, the use of female animals also shows good modeling of depression and has its advantages. The influence of the animals' sex in the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model needs further research.
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Incompatible effects of Panax ginseng and Veratrum nigrum on estrogen decline in rats using metabolomics and gut microbiota. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 208:114442. [PMID: 34749105 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2021.114442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Panax ginseng (PG) and Veratrum nigrum (VN) are the most representative incompatibility herb pair in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This theory is derived from long-term clinical practice and has been applied for thousands of years. However, its mechanism has not yet been clearly investigated. The purpose of this work is to examine the incompatible effects of PG and VN on estrogen decline in rats to better understand the adverse effects of inappropriate herbal combinations using metabolomics and gut microbiota. The ovariectomized rats were administered with PG, VN and their combination decoction decoction intragastrically. After the combination of PG and VN, the improvement of depression-like behavior, neurotransmitter of brain, serum estrogen levels on ovariectomized rats was decreased; the regulation of PG on eight metabolic biomarkers and four intestinal bacteria was reduced by metabolomic and gut microbiota analysis. In addition, the correlation analysis revealed that the above four gut flora showed a relative trend with the significant metabolites of Pantothenic acid, 4, 6-Dihydroxyquinoline, Chenodeoxycholic acid and Caprylic acid. They were involved in tryptophan metabolism, pantothenic acid and coenzyme A biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis and primary bile acid biosynthesis. These results provide further insight into the pathway by which PG and VN combine to reduce the therapeutic effects of estrogen decline. It is helpful to comprehend the incompatible mechanisms of PG and VN.
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Zhang T, Jiang Q, Xu F, Zhang R, Liu D, Guo D, Wu J, Wen Y, Wang X, Jiang W, Bi H. Alternation of Resting-State Functional Connectivity Between Visual Cortex and Hypothalamus in Guinea Pigs With Experimental Glucocorticoid Enhanced Myopia After the Treatment of Electroacupuncture. Front Neuroinform 2021; 14:579769. [PMID: 33519409 PMCID: PMC7838498 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2020.579769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Excessive glucocorticoids (GC) may lead to the aggravation of several basic diseases including myopia, due to plasma hormone imbalances associated with the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPAA). Electroacupuncture (EA) is an effective therapeutic method to treat many diseases, although it remains unclear whether EA at acupoints on the foot or back would be effective in treating eye diseases. It was recently found that visual cortex activity for responses to visual stimuli with spatial frequency and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between the supramarginal gyrus and rostrolateral prefrontal cortex was significantly reduced in patients with high myopia. The present study aims to investigate the role of the alternation of resting-state FC among the bilateral visual cortex and hypothalamus in exerting anti-myopia effects of EA in GC-enhanced lens-induced myopic (LIM) guinea pigs such that the mechanisms of EA to treat GC-enhanced myopia at Shenshu (BL23) acupoints can be probed. To confirm the effects of EA, ocular parameters including axial length and GC-associated physiological parameters such as animal appearance, behavior, bodyweight, and levels of four HPAA-associated plasma hormones [free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T)] were also collected. Increased resting-state FC between the left and right visual cortex was detected in GC-enhanced lens-induced myopic guinea pigs with EA at BL23 acupoints (LIM+GC+EA) guinea pigs compared to GC-enhanced lens-induced myopic guinea pigs with EA at sham acupoints (LIM+GC+Sham) guinea pigs, as well as suppressed myopia and recovery of symptoms initially caused by overdose of GC. Recovered symptoms included improved animal appearance, behavior, bodyweight, and HPAA-associated plasma hormone levels were observed after 4 weeks of EA treatment. In contrast, the LIM+GC+Sham group showed decreased FC with elongation of axial length for myopization as compared to the control group and LIM group and exhibited a deterioration in physiological parameters including reduced body weight and balance disruption in the four measured HPAA-associated plasma hormones. Our findings suggest that EA could effectively treat GC-enhanced myopia by increasing resting-state FC between the left and right visual cortices, which may be pivotal to further understanding the application and mechanisms of EA in treating GC-enhanced myopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhang
- The First College of Clinical Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Qian Jiang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Furu Xu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Ruixue Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Dezheng Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Dadong Guo
- Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Therapy of Ocular Disease, Eye Institute of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Jianfeng Wu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Ying Wen
- Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Xingrong Wang
- Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Wenjun Jiang
- Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Therapy of Ocular Disease, Eye Institute of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Hongsheng Bi
- Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Prevention and Therapy of Ocular Disease, Eye Institute of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
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Zhao FY, Fu QQ, Spencer SJ, Kennedy GA, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Zheng Z. Acupuncture: A Promising Approach for Comorbid Depression and Insomnia in Perimenopause. Nat Sci Sleep 2021; 13:1823-1863. [PMID: 34675729 PMCID: PMC8520448 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s332474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Comorbid depression and insomnia are ubiquitous mental complaints among women going through the perimenopausal stage of life and can result in major decline in quality of life. Antidepressive agents combined with/without hypnotics, and/or hormone therapy are currently the most common treatment for perimenopausal depression (PMD) and insomnia (PMI). Balancing the benefits of these pharmacotherapies against the risk of adverse events (AEs) is a difficult task for both clinicians and women. There has been a growing body of research regarding the utilization of acupuncture for treatment of PMD or PMI, whereas no studies of acupuncture for comorbid PMD and PMI have appeared. In this review, we summarize the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture as a treatment for PMD or PMI, and then discuss the potential mechanisms involved and the role of acupuncture in helping women during this transition. Most clinical trials indicate that acupuncture ameliorates not only PMD/PMI but also climacteric symptoms with minimal AEs. It also regulates serum hormone levels. The reliability of trials is however limited due to methodological flaws in most studies. Rodent studies suggest that acupuncture prolongs total sleep time and reduces depression-like behavior in PMI and PMD models, respectively. These effects are possibly mediated through multiple mechanisms of action, including modulating sex hormones, neurotransmitters, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis/hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis, oxidative stress, signaling pathways, and other cellular events. In conclusion, acupuncture is a promising therapeutic strategy for comorbid depression and insomnia during perimenopause. Neuroendocrine modulation is likely to play a major role in mediating those effects. High-quality trials are required to further validate acupuncture's effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Yi Zhao
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.,Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People's Republic of China.,Department of Nursing, School of International Medical Technology, Shanghai Sanda University, Shanghai, 201209, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang-Qiang Fu
- Yangpu Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200090, People's Republic of China
| | - Sarah J Spencer
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale Biophotonics, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Gerard A Kennedy
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.,School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University, Mount Helen, Victoria, Australia.,Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia
| | - Russell Conduit
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia
| | - Wen-Jing Zhang
- Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia
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Zhou XD, Yang XJ, Zheng Y, Qin ZS, Sha W, Chen G, Zhang ZJ. Jie-Yu Pill, A Proprietary Herbal Medicine, Ameliorates Mood Disorder-Like Behavior and Cognitive Impairment in Estrogen-Deprived Mice Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress: Implication for a Potential Therapy of Menopause Syndrome. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:579995. [PMID: 33329121 PMCID: PMC7673394 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.579995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Jie-Yu Pill (JYP) is a proprietary herbal medicine initially developed to treat menstrual mood disorders. This study sought to determine whether JYP could alleviate menopausal psychiatric symptoms in ovariectomized (OVX) mice, an animal model of estrogen deprivation, exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and the underlying mechanisms in comparison with estrogen therapy. The OVX+CUMS mice were treated with 0.3 mg/kg estradiol (E2), 2.5 g/kg or 5 g/kg JYP for 36 days, and tested in multiple behavioral paradigms. Serum, uterus, and brain tissues were collected for the measurement of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis (HPO) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, neurotrophins, and estrogen receptors. JYP and E2 had comparable efficacy in reducing anxiety- and depression-like behavior and cognitive impairment of the OVX+CUMS mice. E2 strikingly increased ratio of uterus to body weight of the OVX+CUMS mice, but JYP did not. Both agents suppressed HPO-axis upstream hormones, inhibited HPA-axis hyperactivity by reinstating hypothalamic GABA, restored hippocampal and prefrontal glutamate contents and its receptor expression in the OVX+CUMS mice. While JYP and E2 protected against decreases in hippocampal and prefrontal neurotrophins and estrogen receptors of the OVX+CUMS mice, unlike E2, JYP had no significant effects on these biomarkers in the uterus. These results suggest that JYP has comparable efficacy in ameliorating mood disorder-like behavior and cognitive impairment induced by a combination of estrogen deprivation and chronic stress in association with certain differential uterus-brain mechanisms compared to estrogen therapy. JYP may be a potential therapy for menopause-associated psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Dan Zhou
- Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xin-Jing Yang
- Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Zong-Shi Qin
- Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Sha
- Department of Research and Development, Henan Taifeng Biological Technology Corporation Limited, Kaifeng, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Personalized Medicine in Brain Disorders, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhang-Jin Zhang
- Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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