Ginsenoside Rb1 produces antidepressant-like effects in chronic social defeat stress model of depression through BDNF-TrkB sig⁃naling pathway

摘要

OBJECTIVE Ginsenoside Rb1(Rb1),an important bioactive ingredient of Panax ginseng,has potent neuroprotective effects.The objective of the study is to elucidate the impact of Rb1 treatment on chronic social defeat stress(CSDS)-induced depressive-like behaviors and its related mechanism.METHODS AND RE⁃SULTS The daily oral administration of Rb1(35 and 70 mg·kg-1)and imipramine(15 mg·kg-1)for 28 d significantly reversed the social avoidance behavior,anhedonia,and behavioral despair via CSDS exposure,as demonstrated by the consid⁃erable elevation in the time in the zone in social interaction test and consumption of sucrose solu⁃tion in sucrose preference test and decrease of immobility time in forced swim test.Moreover,Rb1 obviously restored the CSDS-induced decrease of BDNF-signaling pathway and hippo⁃campal neurogenesis.Rb1 significantly increased the hippocampal levels of ERK,AKT,and CREB phosphorylation and increased the number of DCX+cells in DG.Importantly,the antidepres⁃sant effects of Rb1 were completely blocked in mice by using K252a(the nonselective tyrosine kinase B inhibitor).CONCLUSION Rb1 exerts promising antidepressant-like effects in mice with CSDS-induced depression,and its effects was facilitated by enhancing the BDNF signaling cas⁃cade and up-regulation of hippocampal neuro⁃genesis.