BACKGROUND Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder is used for regulating qi and blood, soothing liver-qi stagnation and adjusting the function of internal organs in the clinical. The objective of this paper was to study the antidepressant effect of Danzhi Xiaoyao Powder. METHODS Experimental animals were grouped and given different doses of xiaoyao powder and Fluoxetine Hydrochloride tablets respectively. Mou...

This work investigated the association of acute ethanol and aminophylline administration on behavioral models of depression and prefrontal monoamine levels (i.e. norepinephrine and dopamine) in mice. The animals received a single dose of ethanol (2 g/kg) or aminophylline (5 or 10 mg/kg) alone or in association. Thirty minutes after the last drug administration, the animals were assessed in beha...

Many evidences strongly suggest that a mitochondrial deficit is implicated in major depression. A mitochondrial deficit leads to mitochondrial stress responses, including the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), which is associated with certain brain disorders such as spastic paraplegia and Parkinson's disease. However, there is no evidence regarding the relationship between depress...

BACKGROUND Depression is a chronic, recurring and potentially life-threatening illness. Current treatments for depression are characterized by a low success rate and associated with a wide variety of side effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the behavioral anti-depressant effect of a novel herbal compounds named ziziphi spinosae lily powder suspension, as well as to investigate...

BACKGROUND Current data on antidepressant action of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, (+)-MK-801, is inconsistent. This study was conducted to examine the effects of (+)-MK-801 and its less potent stereoisomer, (-)-MK-801, in the social defeat stress model of depression. METHODS The antidepressant effects of (+)-MK-801 (0.1mg/kg) and (-)-MK-801 (0.1mg/kg) in the social defeat stre...

Acanthopanax trifoliatus is a plant that has been traditionally used in Thailand as a vegetable and a tonic. This study investigated effects of the aqueous extract of its leaves (ATL) on cognitive and emotional deficits using an olfactory bulbectomized mouse (OBX) model. OBX mice were treated daily with ATL (250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) 3 days after OBX. Antidementia drug tacrine (2.5 mg/kg/day) an...

A large amount of clinical and experimental data suggest the involvement of neurotrophins, in particular the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in depression pathogenesis. However, the therapeutic use of BDNF is limited because of its instability in biological fluids, poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and the presence of side effects. A low-molecular-weight mimetic GSB-106, wh...