• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.95-101
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• 2008

본 기초연구에서는 강제수영검사(forced swimming test, FST)에 의해 우울증이 유발된 쥐의 해마(hippocampus) 부위에서 뇌 대사물질(brain metabolites)중에 choline 신호의 변화를 관찰하였다. 본 연구의 목적은 우울증이 유발된 쥐에 항우울제인 desipramine-HCl을 투여하여 정상 쥐와 약물을 투여한 쥐 사이의 뇌 대사물질의 차이를 자기공명분광법(magnetic resonance spectroscopy: MRS)을 통하여 알아보는 것이다. 실험대상으로는 6주령의 SD rat을 사용하였으며 우울증을 유발시키고 항우울제의 약물평가를 위한 모델링 방법으로 강제수영검사를 시행하였다. 자기공명분광법을 시행하기 위한 localization 방법으로는 PRESS 펄스시퀀스를 사용하였다(TR: 2,500 ms, TE: 144 ms, averaging: 512, complex data point: 2048, scan time: 25 min). 정상 쥐 그룹과 우울증을 유발시킨 뒤 항우울제를 투여한 쥐 그룹 모두 양쪽 해마부위에서의 NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr 비율(ratio)은 차이가 나지 않았다. 또한 왼쪽 해마에서 정상 쥐와 항우울제를 투여한 쥐 사이에서 NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr 비율도 차이가 나지 않았고, 오른쪽 해마부위에서도 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 없었다. 본 연구를 통하여 anti-immobility효과를 나타내는 항우울제를 투여함으로써 choline 신호가 정상 쥐와 비슷하게 회복되는 것을 관찰하였다. 이는 앞으로의 항우울제 약물 평가에 있어 자기공명분광법을 도입함으로써 기존의 주관적인 판단을 배제할 수 없었던 행동변화분석만으로 항우울제의 효과를 평가하는 방법에 비해 객관적이고 정량적인 분석을 할 수 있다는 점에서 아주 유용한 방법이라 사료된다.

• 한국식품영양과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국식품영양과학회 2001년도 International Symposium on Food,Nutrition and Health for 21st Century
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• pp.22-37
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• 2001

Melatonin is secreted during the hours of darkness and is thought to influence the circadian and seasonal timing of a variety of physiological processes. Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) which is found to be expressed in pineal gland, retina, and various tissues, catalyses the conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin and is known as the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of melatonin. The compounds that modulate the activity of AA-NAT can be used to treat serotonin-and melatonin-related diseases such as insomnia, depression and seasonal affective disorders (SAD). Several assay methods have been developed by which to measure AA-NAT activity. We have also developed a simple, rapid and sensitive AA-NAT assay method that takes advantage of differences in the organic solubilities between acetyl CoA and N-acetyltryptamine. We screened modulators of AA-NAT activity from the water extracts of the medicinal plants. We found MNP1005 which strongly inhibited the activity of AA-NAT ($IC_{50}$=2.2$\mu$M). Enzyme inhibitory kinetic studies revealed that MNP1005 exhibited a noncompetitive inhibition toward tryptamine. The antidepressant effect of MNP1005 was investigated on behavioral despair test so called forced swimming test (FST). MNP1005 significantly increased swimming behavior by reducing immobility with treatment of 10 mg/kg when compared to the vehicle-treated control group (P < 0.05). This suggests that MNP1005 possesses antidepressant activity. The influence of chronic MNP1005 treatment on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was examined by in situ hybridization and Northern blot. Chronic treatment of MNP1005 blocked the downregulation of BDNF mRNA in the frontal cortex and other cortex regions in response to restraint stress.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.245-250
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• 2015

Silibinin, a natural flavonoid antioxidant isolated from extracts of the milk thistle herb, has recently been identified as having anti-hepatotoxic and anticancer properties. In this paper, we investigated the effects of silibinin on behavior and neuroplasticity in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). After 5 consecutive weeks of CUMS, the mice were treated with silibinin (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg by oral gavage) for 3 consecutive weeks. The results showed that silibinin administration significantly alleviated the CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior, including the total number of squares crossed and the frequency of rearing in the open field test, the immobility time in the tail suspension test and the forced swimming test. Furthermore, silibinin treatment increased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Our study provides new insight into the protective effects of silibinin on the depressive status of CUMS mice, specifically by improving neuroplasticity and neurotransmission.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.291-297
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• 2016

Cytisine (CYT), a partial agonist of ${\alpha}4{\beta}2-nicotinic$ receptors, has been used for antidepressant efficacy in several tests. Nicotinic receptors have been shown to be closely associated with depression. However, little is known about the effects of CYT on the depression. In the present study, a mouse model of depression, the unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS), was used to evaluate the activities of CYT. UCMS caused significant depression-like behaviors, as shown by the decrease of total distances in open field test, and the prolonged duration of immobility in tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Treatment with CYT for two weeks notably relieved the depression-like behaviors in the UCMS mice. Next, proteins related to depressive disorder in the brain region of hippocampus and amygdala were analyzed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of CYT. CYT significantly reversed the decreases of 5-HT1A, BDNF, and mTOR levels in the hippocampus and amygdala. These results imply that CYT may act as a potential anti-depressant in the animals under chronic stress.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.55-59
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• 2014

Dehydroevodiamine HCl (DHED) has been reported to prevent memory impairment and neuronal cell loss in a rat model with cognitive disturbance. We investigated the effect of DHED on memory impairment and behavioral abnormality caused by stress. We demonstrated that DHED can improve stress-induced memory impairments and depression-like behaviors by using open-field test, Y-maze test and forced swimming test. DHED treatment significantly recovered the decreases in the levels of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) proteins caused by stress and the decreases in cell viability. Our results suggested that DHED is a potential drug candidate for neuronal death, memory impairment and depression induced by stress.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.107-119
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• 2002

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of Koamsimsinwhan (without Cinnabarite) on depression in CMS-treated rats. Rats of trial groups were exposured to chronic mild unpredictable stress for 4 weeks. These CMS-treated rats were stratified into Koamsimsinwhan(without Cinnabarite) group and vehicle(non-drug) group. And there were control rats excluding both CMS and Koamsimsinwhan(without Cinnabarite). Forced swimming test, general activity test and immunohistochemical test(measuring the level of manifestation of c-Fos in PVN) were executed to evaluate the effects of Koamsimsinwhan(without Cinnabarite) on depression after 4 weeks of CMS treatment. The results were as follows 1. In FST, depression was induced from CMS treatment and was supressed with Koamsimsinwhan(without Cinnabarite). 2. The increased activity of nerve cell in PVN, which refers to stress, was induced from CMS treatment and normalized with Koamsimsinwhan (without Cinnabarite).

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.257-264
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• 2017

Introduction: Pharmacopuncture, which combines acupuncture with herbal medicine, is one of the newly developed acupuncture techniques that has recently been put into use. The possible mechanisms of scolopendra pharmacopuncture, as well as its potential effects on depressive symptoms, were investigated in this study by using a mouse model of chronic immobilization stress (CIS). Methods: C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned into three groups: mice not stressed with restraint and injected with distilled water, mice stressed with restraint and injected with distilled water, and mice stressed with restraint injected with scolopendra pharmacopuncture at a cervical site. Behavioral tests (an open field test, tail suspension test, and forced swimming test) were carried out after two weeks of CIS and injection treatments. The expression levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the hippocampus were determined by using western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses. Results: Mice exposed to CIS showed decreased behavioral activity, while scolopendra pharmacopuncture treatment significantly protected against the depressive-like behaviors induced by CIS. Moreover, scolopendra pharmacopuncture treatment increased GFAP protein levels in the hippocampi of the mice stressed by chronic immobilization. Conclusion: Scolopendra pharmacopuncture has an ameliorating effect on depressive behavior, which is partially mediated through protection against glial loss in the hippocampus.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.830-843
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• 2006

Clinical evidence suggests that Nelumbinis Semen extracts have antidepressive properties and may offer an interesting alternative for the treatment of mood disorders. It was the aim of the present study to compare the effects of Nelumbinis Semen extracts with those of fluoxetine and hypericum perforatum extract in the rat forced swimming test (FST) and chronic mild stress (CMS), a model of depression. In the FST, p.o. administration of Nelumbinis Semen extracts (1 mg) induced a statistically significant reduction of immobility. The active behaviors in that test did not reflect decreased general activity because Nelumbinis Semen extracts failed to alter the locomotor activity of rats, measured in the open field test. Moreover Nelumbinis Semen extracts was superior to fluoxetine and hypericum perforatum extract in the incidence of sexual side-effects. These effects of Nelumbinis Semen extracts on the rat behavior is to be ascribed to increased Cytochrome c oxidase polypeptide Vla-liver, Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 , Adenylosuccinate synthetase, and Aldehyde dehydrogenase in rat hippocampus.

• 생약학회지
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.310-316
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• 2020

Kyung-Ok-Go (KOK) is a traditional prescription used for debilitating natural aging and post-illness debilitation. KOK has been used in a variety of ways because it strengthens immunity, prevents illness, and helps recovery in case of illness. In particular, recent research has revealed that KOK helps improve memory and cognition. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether KOK was effective in improving memory decline and depression-state observed during menopause. In the present study, we employed ovariectomized mouse as an animal model for measuring menopausal syndrome. The administration of KOK for 8 weeks, the object recognition memory and working memory were improved in novel object recognition test and Y-maze test. And in the forced swimming test, the immobility time were decreased. Additionally, the expression level of mature brain derived neurotropic factor (mBDNF) was increased by KOK administration in ovariectomized mouse hippocampus. These results suggested that KOK could improve cognitive decline and depression during menopausal period, and it might be come from enhancing expression level of mBDNF in hippocampus.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.113-117
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• 2003

This study was performed to investigate the anti-depression effect of herbal extracts (Rehmanniae Radix Preparat, Corni Fructus, Lycii Fructus, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Nelumbinis Semen) in the chronic mild stressed rat. After adaptation period for 2 weeks, each herbal extract was administered to the rats divided 5 groups. For comparison, St. John's wart was administered to another group in the same environment. The chronic mild stress was induced to rats by overnight illumination for 2 days before the forced swimming test. Struggling time, first latency and rest duration were calculated during the forced swimming test to evaluate the anti-depressant effect. The results were as follows: 1. In the result of evaluation of the struggling time, there was no significance in Pinelliae Rhizoma (-1.1%), Corni Fructus (-3.9%), Rehmanniae Radix Preparat (15.2%), Lycii Fructus (4.9%), St. John's wart (25.2%). There was a significant increase only in Nelumbinis Semen (43.9%) (P=0.0037). 2. In the result of evaluation of the first latency time, there was no significance in Lycii Fructus (-21.37%), Rehmanniae Radix Preparat (38.4%), Pinelliae Rhizoma (65.5%), Corni Fructus (29.2%), St. John's wart (75.8%). There was a significant increase only in Nelumbinis Semen (90.2%) (P=0.0116). 3. In the result of evaluation of the first rest duration, there was no change in St. John's wart, and Decrease was shown in Pinelliae Rhizoma (62.4%), Corni Fructus (31.6%) Rehmanniae Radix Preparat (63.1 %), Lycii Fructus (12.4%), Nelumbinis Semen (59.0%), but there was no significance in all. 4. Nelumbinis Semen is considered to have a superior anti-depression effect than the other herbal extracts, and to have a superior and-depression effect than St. John's wart being used commonly.