• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.27-33
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• 2014

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-depressant effects of pharmacopuncture using sumsu (Bufonis venenum). Methods: Animals were divided into three groups (control, sham, and experimental), with eight mice per group. The sham and the experimental groups were exposed to 2 hours of immobilization stress daily for 14 days. They were also injected with normal saline (sham) or subjected to pharmacopuncture with sumsu at the acupoints HT7, SP6, and GV20 (experimental). The depression or anxiety-like behaviors of the mice in each group were evaluated 1 day after treatment. Results: There was no difference in locomotor activity between the groups during the open-field test; i.e., all groups had normal motor function. However, the open-field and the forced-swimming tests revealed that depression and anxiety-like behaviors were decreased significantly in the group treated with sumsu pharmacopuncture. Conclusion: Sumsu pharmacopuncture attenuated depressive or anxiety-like behavior in mice stressed with chronic immobilization. These results suggest that sumsu pharmacopuncture has therapeutic potential for treating neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression disorder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.132-141
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to provide fundamental information on fish swimming behavioral properties. Acoustic data was collected at nighttime from the $10^{th}$ to $12^{th}$ March, 2016 near Yokji Island in the South Sea of South Korea, and was analyzed using the fish track technique. This technique is to identify groups of single targets, which shows a pattern of systematic movement. As a result, the differences of the behavioral properties such as depth, swimming speed, vertical direction, horizontal direction, tortuosity, and depth change among days were minor; however, statistical results (Welch analysis of variance) showed significant difference between days. Especially, the target strength (TS) of the $11^{th}$ were significantly different from the $10^{th}$ and $12^{th}$. It could be assumed that gizzard shad, which was the dominant species from the catch on the $11^{th}$ March, might have affected this difference. The correlation between TS and other properties was very week. The significant difference seemed even small differences of average values because of the large data volume.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2003

Objective : This study was designed to assess the protective effects of Hwangryeonhaedoktang on the animal model of depression, induced by chronic mild stress(CMS). Method : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this experiment. The subjects were divided into 3 groups ( 1. CMS-drug: Hwangryeonhaedoktang administered during CMS treatment, 2. CMS-vehicle: water administered, 3. normal ). After 4 weeks of CMS treatment, they were executed forced swimming test(FST), open field test and c-Fos in paraventricular nucleus(PVN) were measured. Result : 1. In FST, immobility behavior decreased significantly in CMS-drug group. 2. There was no difference in the open field test between 3 groups 3. c-Fos expressed cell bodies in PVN were significantly less in CMS-drug than in CMS-vehicle group. Conclusion : These results suggest that Hwangryeonhaedoktang may have protective antidepressant effects in CMS model rats. And these effects could be explained by the elevated stress-copying behaviors which are related with PVN of hypothalamus.

• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.309-324
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• 2017

Recently, the heterotrophic nanoflagellate Katablepharis japonica has been reported to feed on diverse red-tide species and contribute to the decline of red tides. However, if there are effective predators feeding on K. japonica, its effect on red tide dynamics may be reduced. To investigate potential effective protist predators of K. japonica, feeding by the engulfment-feeding heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HTDs) Oxyrrhis marina, Gyrodinium dominans, Gyrodinium moestrupii, Polykrikos kofoidii, and Noctiluca scintillans, the peduncle-feeding HTDs Luciella masanensis and Pfiesteria piscicida, the pallium-feeding HTD Oblea rotunda, and the naked ciliates Strombidium sp. (approximately $20{\mu}m$ in cell length), Pelagostrobilidium sp., and Miamiensis sp. on K. japonica was explored. We found that none of these heterotrophic protists fed on actively swimming cells of K. japonica. However, O. marina, G. dominans, L. masanensis, and P. piscicida were able to feed on heat-killed K. japonica. Thus, actively swimming behavior of K. japonica may affect feeding by these heterotrophic protists on K. japonica. To the contrary, K. japonica was able to feed on O. marina, P. kofoidii, O. rotunda, Miamiensis sp., Pelagostrobilidium sp., and Strombidium sp. However, the specific growth rates of O. marina did not differ significantly among nine different K. japonica concentrations. Thus, K. japonica may not affect growth of O. marina. Our findings suggest that the effect of predation by heterotrophic protists on K. japonica might be negligible, and thus, the effect of grazing by K. japonica on populations of red-tide species may not be reduced by mortality due to predation by protists.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.13-17
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• 2015

Objectives : Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlstedt has been reported to have several biological properties such as skin hydration and antiinflammation. The purpose of this study was to examine the antidepressive effects of water extract of T. platycarpum (WTP) on an animal model of depression. Methods : In the present study, normal ICR mice (4 weeks) were used, and orally administered with WTP (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg). Depression-like behavior was monitored the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in mice. The locomotor activity was evaluated to eliminate the false-positive activity in the open field test (OFT). Fluoxetine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, as a positive control was intraperitoneally administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg at 30 min before starting the behavioral test. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of WTP on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/ cyclic AMP response-element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway in the hippocampus using Western blot. Results : The administration of WTP (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05, respectively) reduced the immobility time during FST and TST without accompanying changes in locomotor activity by OFT. Furthermore, WTP at dose of 100 mg/kg increased the BDNF expression and the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB in the hippocampus region. Conclusions : These results suggest that WTP has a useful anti-depressant effect through the regulation of BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.61-78
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• 2003

Objective : This study was designed to assess the protective effects of Chengwhabosimtang on the animal model of depression, chronic mild stress(CMS). Method : Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this experiment. The subjects were divided into 3 groups ( 1. CMS-drug: Chengwhabosimtang administered during CMS treatment, 2. CMS-vehicle: water administered, 3. normal ). After 4 weeks of CMS treatment, they were executed Forced swimming test(FST) and Elevated plus maze. Tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) in ventral tegmental area(VTA) and c-Fos in paraventricular nucleus(PVN) were measured. Result : 1. In FST, CMS-drug group showed significantly decreased immobility behavior. 2. CMS-drug group showed no significantly lower TH level in VTA than CMS-vehicle group. 3. CMS-drug group showed significantly less c-Fos expressed cell bodies in PVN than CMS-vehicle group. 4. In Elevated plus maze, CMS-drug group showed no significantly anxiety. Conclusion : These results suggest that Chengwhabosimtang may have protective antidepressant effects in CMS model rats. And these effects could be explained by the elevated stress-copying behaviors which are related with PVN of hypothalamus and dopaminergic neurons in VTA.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.644-654
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• 2020

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental disorder induced by traumatic stress and often accompanied by depression and/or anxiety, may involve an imbalance in the neurotransmitters associated with the fear response. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has long been used as a traditional medicine and is known to be involved in a variety of pharmacological activities. We used the open field test and forced swimming test to examine the effects of KRG on the depression-like response of rats after exposure to single prolonged stress (SPS), leading to activation of the serotonergic system. Methods: Male rats received KRG (30, 50, and 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection) once daily for 14 days after exposure to SPS. Results: Daily KRG administration significantly improved depression-like behaviors in the forced swimming test, increased the number of lines crossed and time spent in the central zone in the open field test, and decreased freezing behavior in contextual and cued fear conditioning. KRG treatment attenuated SPS-induced decreases in serotonin (5-HT) tissue concentrations in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. The increased 5-HT concentration during KRG treatment may be partially attributable to the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid/5-HT ratio in the hippocampus of rats with PTSD. These effects may be caused by the activation of hippocampal genes encoding tryptophan hydroxylase-1 and 2 mRNA levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that KRG has an antidepressant effect in rats subjected to SPS and may represent an effective use of traditional medicine for the treatment of PTSD.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2001.12a
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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.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2021

Several studies have previously reported that exposure to stress provokes behavioral changes, including antinociception, in rodents. In the present study, we studied the effect of acute cold-water (4℃) swimming stress (CWSS) on nociception and the possible changes in several signal molecules in male ICR mice. Here, we show that 3 min of CWSS was sufficient to produce antinociception in tail-flick, hot-plate, von-Frey, writhing, and formalin-induced pain models. Significantly, CWSS strongly reduced nociceptive behavior in the first phase, but not in the second phase, of the formalin-induced pain model. We further examined some signal molecules' expressions in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord to delineate the possible molecular mechanism involved in the antinociceptive effect under CWSS. CWSS reduced p-ERK, p-AMPKα1, p-AMPKα2, p-Tyk2, and p-STAT3 expression both in the spinal cord and DRG. However, the phosphorylation of mTOR was activated after CWSS in the spinal cord and DRG. Moreover, p-JNK and p-CREB activation were significantly increased by CWSS in the spinal cord, whereas CWSS alleviated JNK and CREB phosphorylation levels in DRG. Our results suggest that the antinociception induced by CWSS may be mediated by several molecules, such as ERK, JNK, CREB, AMPKα1, AMPKα2, mTOR, Tyk2, and STAT3 located in the spinal cord and DRG.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.18-32
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• 2013

Objectives: In this research, the effect of Gyogam-dan (GGD) on depression and immunity were assessed in ovariectomized rats subjected to repetitive stress. GGD is the prescription consisting of Poria cocos and Cyperi Rhizoma. Methods: Ovariectomized rats were repeatedly stressed over a 2-week period. After GGD (100 or 400 mg/kg) were orally administered, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and forced swimming test (FST) were performed to evaluate depressive and anxiety response. As well, the change of corticosterone (CORT) and the change of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in blood serum and in brain were mesured. Results: 1. In the EPM, there were no statistically significant differences among the groups. 2. In the FST, immobility time significantly decreased in rats of each experiment group compared with the control group (p<0.01). 3. Serum CORT level were decreased in 400 mg GGD group (p<0.05). 4. On IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-4 measurement in the serum and brain, there were not significant increase or decrease compared with the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that GGD is effective to reduce depression-behavior in ovariectomized rats. However, GGD do not has significant efficacy to reduce anxiety-behavior in EPM test. Measurement of serum CORT level reveals significant decrease and it shows anti-depressant like effect. Results on immunity are not significant.