中国科学院心理健康重点实验室知识库

目的:探讨人参皂苷对慢性应激所致大鼠抑郁模型的干预作用。方法:通过测定大鼠血清中皮质酮(COR)、糖皮质激素受体(GR)、盐皮质激素受体(MR)和脑组织中神经营养(BDNF)的mRNA表达水平,探讨人参皂苷的抗抑郁机制。结果:与正常组大鼠比较,经过慢性应激6周后大鼠糖水偏好显著下降,强迫游泳测试不动时间明显增加,表明慢性应激导致大鼠产生抑郁样行为。同时,抑郁大鼠的血清COR水平增加,海马GR、海马及皮层BDNF的mRNA表达水平均明显降低。给予人参皂苷(12.5,25,50 mg.kg-1)6周后,发现其能显著改善由慢性应激所致的大鼠抑郁行为及生化指标。各个组间海马MR的mRNA表达水平没有显著差异。结论:人参皂苷的抗抑郁作用机制可能通过调节下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴功能,进而提高脑组织BDNF表达水平。

Gingseng is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine community for the treatment of depression-like disorders.Ginsenosides is considered to be the major active components of ginseng.Previous studies have demonstrated that ginsenosides produced antidepressant-like action in various mouse models of behavioral despair.The present study aimed to examine whether ginsenosides could affect the chronic unpredictable mild stress（CUMS）-induced depression in rats.The mechanism（s） underlying the antidepressant-like action was investigated by measuring serum corticosterone level,glucocorticoid receptor（GR）,mineralocorticoid receptor（MR） and brain-derived neurotrophic factor（BDNF） mRNA levels in brain tissues.CUMS,being lasted for 6 weeks,caused depression-like behavior in rats,as indicated by the significant decrease in sucrose consumption and increase in immobility time in the forced swim test.Whereas serum corticosterone level was significantly increased in rats exposed to CUMS,expressions of GR mRNA in hippocampus,and BDNF mRNA in hippocampus and frontal cortex,were decreased in CUMS-treated rats.Daily intragastric administration of ginsenosides（12.5,25,50 mg·kg-1） during the six weeks of CUMS significantly suppressed behavioral and biochemical changes induced by CUMS.However,there was no significant difference in MR mRNA level among groups.The results suggest that the antidepressant-like action of ginsenosides is likely mediated by modulating the function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and increasing the expression of BDNF in brain tissues.