Suanzaoren Decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited antidepressant effects by regulating specific inflammatory and neuroplasticity pathways.
The study investigated the impact of SZRD on a depression induced rat model, implementing chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and a neuroinflammation model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Body weight and behavioral indexes for the rat model were recorded after 4-week SZRD treatment. Brain pathological damage was observed using Hematoxylin and eosin staining and neuronal apoptosis via TUNEL staining. Various techniques were employed to measure inflammatory factors and important pathways, and neuroplasticity index proteins.
The study discovered that treating depression-model rats with SZRD significantly changed their behaviors, reduced inflammatory factors, and increased the expression of neuroplasticity index proteins. SZRD also inhibited the activation of certain pathways, which was further validated through experiments with the addition of pathway agonists. Overall, SZRD demonstrated the potential to combat depression by interacting with specific pathways, pointing to a new direction in depression treatment research.
