Chaihu Shugan San has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on post-stroke depression due to compound effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glutathione metabolism.
In the study, various techniques were used in a combination approach to uncover the impact of Chaihu Shugan San on post-stroke depression. Cell membrane solid-phase chromatography, combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry, was employed to screen the specific binding components of Chaihu Shugan San and HT22 cells, and evaluate their effects on the viability of injured HT22 cells and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
The study results pointed out eight particular binding components of Chaihu Shugan San and HT22 cells were discovered by cell membrane solid-phase chromatography. With the exception of one component, the other seven demonstrated a protective effect on HT22 cells and a significant increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. The use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry also identified 13 differential metabolites in metabolomics. It was found that glutathione metabolism could be an important component involved in the way Chaihu Shugan San helps combat post-stroke depression. The binding component of HT22 demonstrated favorable binding to the target protein, adding another layer to its impact on management and mitigation of post-stroke depression symptoms.
