Anxiolytic and antidepressants' effect of Crataegus pinnatifida (Shan Zha): biochemical mechanisms

Comparing the effect of fluoxetine, escitalopram, and sertraline, on the level of BDNF and depression in preclinical and clinical studies: a systematic review

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) dysfunction is one of the most important mechanisms underlying depression. It seems that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) improve depression via affecting BDNF level. In this systematic review, for the first time, we aimed to review the effect of three SSRIs including fluoxetine, escitalopram, and sertraline, on both depression and BDNF level in preclinical and clinical studies. PubMed electronic database was searched, and 193 articles were included in this study. After reviewing all manuscripts, only one important difference was found: subjects. We found that SSRIs induce different effects in animals vs. humans. Preclinical studies showed many controversial effects, while human studies showed only two effects: improvement of depression, with or without the improvement of BDNF. However, most studies used chronic SSRIs treatment, while acute SSRIs were not effectively used and evaluated. In conclusion, it seems that SSRIs are reliable antidepressants, and the improvement effect of SSRIs on depression is not dependent to BDNF level (at least in human studies).

Intranasal delivery of herbal medicine for disease treatment: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Intranasal administration has been adopted in traditional medicine to facilitate access to the bloodstream and central nervous system (CNS). In modern medicine, nasal drug delivery systems are valuable for disease treatment because of their noninvasiveness, good absorption, and fast-acting effects.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to systematically organize preclinical and clinical studies on intranasal herbal medicines to highlight their potential in drug development.

METHODS

A comprehensive search for literature until February 2023 was conducted on PubMed and the Web of Science. From the selected publications, we extracted key information, including the types of herbal materials, target diseases, intranasal conditions, methods of toxicity evaluation, main outcomes, and mechanisms of action, and performed quality assessments for each study.

RESULTS

Of the 45 studies, 13 were clinical and 32 were preclinical; 28 studies used herbal extracts, 9 used prescriptions, and 8 used natural compounds. The target diseases were rhinosinusitis, influenza, fever, stroke, migraine, insomnia, depression, memory disorders, and lung cancer. The common intranasal volumes were 8-50 µl in mice, 20-100 µl in rats, and 100-500 µl in rabbits. Peppermint oil, Ribes nigrum folium, Melia azedarach L., Elaeocarpus sylvestris, Radix Bupleuri, Da Chuan Xiong Fang, Xingnaojing microemulsion, and Ginsenoside Rb1 emerged as potential candidates for rapid intranasal therapy. The in vivo toxicity assessments were based on mortality, body weight, behavioral changes, mucociliary activity, histopathology, and blood tests. Most intranasal treatments were safe, except for Cyclamen europaeum, Jasminum sambac, Punica granatum L., and violet oil, which caused mild adverse effects. At lower doses, intranasal herbal treatments often show greater effects than oral administration. The actions of intranasal herbal medicine mainly involve regulating inflammation and neurotransmission, with the olfactory bulb and anterior cingulate cortex to be relevant brain regions.

CONCLUSION

Intranasal delivery of herbal materials holds promise for enhancing drug delivery efficacy and reducing treatment duration, offering a potential future perspective for developing intranasal therapies for various diseases.

Potential of the Blue Calm® food supplement in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by a set of behavioral, cognitive, nutritional, and physiological phenomena derived from the uncontrolled use of alcoholic beverages. There are cases in which AUD is associated with anxiety disorder, and when untreated, it requires careful pharmacotherapy. Blue Calm® (BC) is a food supplement indicated to aid restorative sleep, which has traces of medicinal plant extracts, as well as myo-inositol, magnesium bisglycinate, taurine, and L-tryptophan as its main chemical constituents. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of the BC in the treatment alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety in adult zebrafish (aZF). Initially, BC was submitted to antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical. Subsequently, the aZF (n = 6/group) were treated with BC (0.1 or 1 or 10 mg/mL; 20 μL; p.o.), and the sedative effect and acute toxicity (96 h) were evaluated. Then, the anxiolytic-like effect and the possible GABAergic mechanism were analyzed through the Light & Dark Test. Finally, BC action was evaluated for treating alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety in aZF. Molecular docking was performed to evaluate the interaction of the major chemical constituents of BC with the GABAA receptor. BC showed antioxidant potential, a sedative effect, was not toxic, and all doses of BC had an anxiolytic-like effect and showed potential for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety in aZF. In addition to the anxiolytic action, the main chemical constituents of BC were confirmed in the molecular docking, thus suggesting that BC is an anxiolytic that modulates the GABAergic system and has pharmacological potential for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety.

Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety concerns of hawthorn (Crataegus genus): A comprehensive review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The genus Crataegus (hawthorn), a member of the Rosaceae family, encompasses several species with broad geographical distribution across the Northern Hemisphere, including Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Hawthorn is recognized as an edible medicinal plant with applications related to strengthening the digestive system, promoting blood circulation, and resolving blood stasis.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This study critically summarized the traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties to provide a theoretical basis for further studies on hawthorn and its applications in medicine and food.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The available information on hawthorn was gathered from scientific databases (including Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, online ethnobotanical databases, and ethnobotanical monographs, and considered data from 1952 to 2023). Information about traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety concerns of the collected data is comprehensively summarized in this paper.

RESULTS

The literature review revealed that hawthorn includes more than 1000 species primarily distributed in the northern temperate zone. Traditional uses of hawthorn have lasted for millennia in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Within the past decade, 337 chemical compounds, including flavonoids, lignans, fatty acids and organic acids, monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids, terpenoids and steroids, have been identified from hawthorn. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed numerous bioactivities, such as cardiovascular system influence, antitumor activity, hepatoprotective activity, antimicrobial properties, immunomodulatory functions, and anti-inflammatory activities. Additionally, evaluations have indicated that hawthorn lacks toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on its traditional uses, chemical composition, and pharmacological studies, hawthorn has significant potential as a medicinal and edible plant with a diverse range of pharmacological activities. Traditional uses of the hawthorn include the treatment of indigestion, dysmenorrhea, and osteoporosis. However, modern pharmacological research primarily focuses on its cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system effects, antitumor effects, and liver protection properties. Currently, there is a lack of correlative research involving its traditional uses and pharmacological activities. Moreover, phytochemical and pharmacological research has yet to focus on many types of hawthorn with traditional applications. Therefore, it is imperative to research the genus Crataegus extensively.

Review of Herbal Medicines for the Treatment of Depression

Depression, a mental illness that is receiving increasing attention, is caused by multiple factors and genes and adversely affects social life and health. Several hypotheses have been proposed to clarify the pathogenesis of depression, and various synthetic antidepressants have been introduced to treat patients with depression. However, these drugs are effective only in a proportion of patients and fail to achieve complete remission. Recently, herbal medicines have received much attention as alternative treatments for depression because of their fewer side effects and lower costs. In this review, we have mainly focused on the herbal medicines that have been proven in clinical studies (especially randomized controlled trials and preclinical studies) to have antidepressant effects; we also describe the potential mechanisms of the antidepressant effects of those herbal medicines; the cellular and animal model of depression; and the development of novel drug delivery systems for herbal antidepressants. Finally, we objectively elaborate on the challenges of using herbal medicines as antidepressants and describe the benefits, adverse effects, and toxicity of these medicines.