Sansoninto as evidence-based remedial medicine for depression-like behavior
Sawamoto A, Okuyama S, Amakura Y, Yamada R, Yoshimura M, Nakajima M, Furukawa Y · Journal of Natural Medicines · 2017 August 19
DOI 10.1007/s11418-017-1119-0
Objective
To investigate the potential of extracts from 5 Kampo formulations in treating behavioral abnormalities by examining their effects on ERK activation and neurite outgrowth in Neuro2a cells, with a focus on the most promising candidate, sansoninto (SAT).
Conclusions
Sansoninto (SAT) extract showed stronger effects compared to other candidates, and its oral administration ameliorated behavioral impairments in mouse models, exhibiting anti-depression-like effects through up-regulation of BDNF in the hippocampus and activation of signaling cascades including MAPK, CREB, and CaMK II, suggesting its potential as a new medicine for depression-like behavior.
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Insights
The extract of sansoninto, a Japanese traditional formulation, shows potential as a new treatment for depression-like behavior through stimulating brain cell growth.
The research used in vitro screening methods with cultured Neuro2a cells to examine the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and promote neurite outgrowth. Five formulations of Kampo (Japanese traditional medicine) were tested, with the extract of sansoninto demonstrating the strongest effects. To determine if this effect could translate to living organisms, the study administrated sansoninto orally to mice models exhibiting behavioral impairments.
The results showed that the sansoninto extract exerted anti-depression-like effects in the forced swim test. The research suggests this effect could be attributed to up-regulated expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus. The results also indicate the potential mechanism might involve the enhanced phosphorylation of the cAMP response element-binding protein via the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II cascade, which is a downstream signaling cascade of a certain receptor. The former is associated with the regulation of cellular responses, while the latter has been linked with synaptic plasticity in the brain.
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