Baicalin Ameliorates Corticosterone-Induced Depression by Promoting Neurodevelopment of Hippocampal via mTOR/GSK3ß Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of hippocampal neurodevelopment in the antidepressant effect of baicalin. METHODS: Forty male Institute of Cancer Research mice were divided into control, corticosterone (CORT, 40 mg/kg), CORT+baicalin-L (25 mg/kg), CORT+baicalin-H (50 mg/kg), and CORT+fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) groups according to a random number table. An animal model of depression was established by chronic CORT exposure. Behavioral tests were used to assess the reliability of depression model and the antidepressant effect of baicalin. In addition, Nissl staining and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the effect of baicalin on hippocampal neurodevelopment in mice. The protein and mRNA expression levels of neurodevelopment-related factors were detected by Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: Baicalin significantly ameliorated the depressive-like behavior of mice resulting from CORT exposure and promoted the development of dentate gyrus in hippocampus, thereby reversing the depressive-like pathological changes in hippocampal neurons caused by CORT neurotoxicity. Moreover, baicalin significantly decreased the protein and mRNA expression levels of glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß), and upregulated the expression levels of cell cycle protein D1, p-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), doublecortin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (all P<0.01). There were no significant differences between baicalin and fluoxetine groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Baicalin can promote the development of hippocampal neurons via mTOR/GSK3ß signaling pathway, thus protect mice against CORT-induced neurotoxicity and play an antidepressant role.

Target prediction and activity verification for the antidepressant action of Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis).

OBJECTIVE: To decipher the antidepressant targets and mechanisms of Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis) (RSB) by a novel computational system based on prediction and experimental verification. METHODS: The putative targets of RSB against depression were identified from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and DrugBank. Next, protein-protein interaction network of the anti-depression targets of RSB were identified, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of depression were mined from the NCBI database. Then, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology were used to analysis the common targets. Finally, the selected pathways and functions were verified by experimentation. RESULTS: Thirty active compounds in RSB were predicted with high confidence by TCMSP and DrugBank, and seventy-one DEGs were identified in the GEO database. Besides, eight core target proteins were screened out by descending order of degree value, including ACHE, IL6, SLC6A4, FOS, SLC6A3, MAOB, DPP4, and JUN. These target genes were further found to be associated with pathways involved in neuronal apoptosis, such as pathways in cancer, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and TNF signaling. The cell proliferation assay and wound-healing assay results showed that RSB does not affect PC12 cell proliferation and chemotaxis. Unexpectedly, RSB protected PC12 cells from oxidative stress induced by H2O2 via inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis. We revealed significant changes in mice treated with 400 mg/kg RSB compared with the lipopolysaccharide mice. The possible mechanism for the antidepressive action of RSB is by reducing the expression of LC3-B in CA1 neurons. CONCLUSIONS: Our research partially expounds the mechanism of the antidepressant effect of RSB by the combination of network pharmacology prediction and experimental verification. Furthermore, it is also conducive to the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine within modern medicine.

Posture and Time Arrangement Influence Shank Circumference Reduction When Performing Leg Raising Exercise.

This study recruited nine young women who performed a leg raising exercise under six test combinations of three holding postures (lying supine, placing the shanks on a yoga ball, and elevating the legs at 60° against the wall) and two time arrangements (continuous vs. intermittent) for a period of 15 min. The intermittent arrangement included an additional 1-min rest set in the middle of the 15 min test. The participants' shank circumference (SC) reductions and discomfort ratings were measured after each test combination was performed. Results indicated that the most efficient method for SC reduction was the yoga ball (5.4 mm), followed by the supine lying posture (4.6 mm) and wall-supported leg raising (3.1 mm). A significant interaction of posture × time arrangement (p < 0.01) implied that the yoga ball method combined with a 1-min rest produced the greatest SC reduction (6.7 mm). Our results also showed that participants experienced the greatest discomfort (score: 4.96) when performing wall-supported leg raising, compared with both lying supine (score: 1.34) and the yoga ball (score: 1.32). This study suggests that the effectiveness of leg raising as conventionally practiced for eliminating leg fatigue or swelling requires further consideration.