Nutrients 2019, 11(4), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040859
The Chinese Herbal Formula PAPZ Ameliorates Behavioral Abnormalities in Depressive Mice
1
MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2
School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 2668501, Japan
3
Environmental Health Science, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
4
Research & Development Centre, Infinitus (China) Company Ltd., Guangzhou 510663, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 11 March 2019 / Revised: 7 April 2019 / Accepted: 12 April 2019 / Published: 16 April 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Central Nervous System)
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by mixed symptoms and complex pathogenesis. With long history of practical application, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers many herbs for the treatment and rehabilitation of chronic disease. In this study, we developed a modified Chinese herbal formula using Panax ginseng, Angelica Sinensis, Polygala tenuifolia Willd, and Ziziphi spinosae Semen (PAPZ), based on an ancient TCM prescription. The antidepressant effects of PAPZ were investigated with a corticosterone (CORT) model of depression in mice. Our results showed that administration of PAPZ ameliorated depression-like phenotypes in the CORT model. An anatomic study showed that chronic PAPZ administration upregulated the protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampal tissue. The enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase was enhanced in hippocampal tissue, in line with a decreased malondialdehyde level. Taken together, these findings suggested that PAPZ has therapeutic effects in a mice depression model through increasing protein expression of BDNF and improving the anti-oxidation ability of the brain. View Full-Text
Figure 1
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Chen, H.; Huang, Q.; Zhang, S.; Hu, K.; Xiong, W.; Xiao, L.; Cong, R.; Liu, Q.; Wang, Z. The Chinese Herbal Formula PAPZ Ameliorates Behavioral Abnormalities in Depressive Mice. Nutrients 2019, 11, 859.
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