The potential targets and mechanisms of modified Baihe dihuang decoction applied in post-stroke depression / 中国药房

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential targets and mechanisms of the modified Baihe dihuang decoction （MBD/ BDD） applied in post-stroke depression （PSD）. METHODS Network pharmacology was used to mine the potential targets and key pathways of MBD/BDD in the treatment of PSD. PSD model rats were induced by focal cerebral ischemia surgery combined with chronic unforeseen mild stress， and then were randomly divided into PSD model group， MBD/BDD group （12.6 g/kg， by raw drug）， and fluoxetine hydrochloride （FLX） group （positive control， 2.3 mg/kg）； a blank control group was also set up， with 8 rats in each group. Each administration group was given a corresponding medication solution by gavage once a day for 21 consecutive days. The intervention effect of MBD/BDD on depression-like symptoms in model rats was evaluated by open field and forced swimming tests. The brain tissues of rats in each group were dissected and total RNA was extracted for transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The mRNA and protein expressions of genes with significant changes and common neurotrophic factors were verified based on the above results. RESULTS A total of 131 MBD/BDD antidepressant-related target genes were obtained （such as IL1B and AKT1， etc.）， which were closely related to neural active ligand-receptor interactions and cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling pathway. MBD/BDD could significantly prolong or increase the total time spent and distance traveled in the central grid of qiangzhe@cqtcm.edu.cn PSD model rats， and significantly shorten the cumulative immobility time （P＜0.05）. After treatment with MBD/BDD， the number of genes that changed in rat brain tissue was much higher than that in the FLX group， and there were significant differences in gene profiles among the PSD model group， MBD/BDD group， and FLX group. There were 1 351 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） between the MBD/BDD group and the PSD model group， of which 178 were significantly down-regulated and 1 173 were significantly up-regulated （P＜0.05）. Above 1 351 DEGs were involved in neuronal differentiation， chemical synaptic transmission regulation. They were significantly enriched in axonal guidance， cholinergic synapses and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. The top 30 genes in terms of up-regulation in the brain tissue of rats of MBD/BDD group were all associated with neuronal proliferation， development， differentiation， and migration. After MBD/BDD intervention， the expressions of Fezf2， Arx， Ostn， Nrgn genes， brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tyrosine kinase receptor B protein in brain tissue of rats were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The anti-PSD effect of MBD/BDD may be related to the up-regulation of the expression of genes related to neuronal proliferation， development， differentiation and migration， as well as the promotion of neural structural and functional repair.