Nerolidol reduces depression-like behavior in mice and suppresses microglia activation by down-regulating DNA methyltransferase 1.

Modern medicine has unveiled that essential oil made from Aquilaria possesses sedative and hypnotic effects. Among the chemical components in Aquilaria, nerolidol, a natural sesquiterpene alcohol, has shown promising effects. This study aimed to unravel the potential of nerolidol in treating depression. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was utilized to induce depression-like behavior in mice, and open field test, sucrose preference, and tail suspension test was conducted. The impacts of nerolidol on the inflammatory response, microglial activation, and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) were assessed. To study the regulatory role of DNMT1, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to treat BV2 cells, followed by the evaluation of cell viability and DNMT1 level. Additionally, the influence of DNMT1 overexpression on BV2 cell activation was determined. Behavioral analysis revealed that nerolidol reduced depression-like behavior in mice. Nerolidol reduced the levels of inflammatory factors and microglial activation caused by CUMS. Nerolidol treatment was found to reduce DNMT1 levels in mouse brain tissue and it also decrease the LPS-induced increase in DNMT1 levels in BV2 cells. DNMT1 overexpression reversed the impacts of nerolidol on the inflammation response and cell activation. This study underscores the potential of nerolidol in reducing CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior and inhibiting microglial activation by downregulating DNMT1. These findings offer valuable insights into the potential of nerolidol as a therapeutic option for depression.

[Network Meta-analysis of acupuncture and moxibustion for allergic rhinitis].

OBJECTIVE: To review the therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on allergic rhinitis based on the network Meta-analysis. METHODS: The randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion for allergic rhinitis were retrieved from the databases, starting from the date of establishment to August 17, 2020, i.e. the PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP. The traditional Meta-analysis and network Meta-analysis were performed by RevMan5.3 and GeMTC0.14.3. RESULTS: A total of 50 RCTs were included, including 4260 patients, involving 5 kinds of acupuncture and moxibustion therapies, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, acupoint application, acupoint thread-embedding and auricular point therapy.①In term of total effective rate, acupuncture, moxibustion and acupoint thread-embedding were superior to western medication and auricular point therapy (P<0.05); moxibustion was superior to acupoint application (P<0.05); acupoint thread-embedding was superior to acupoint application (P<0.05). Acupoint thread-embedding was most likely to be the best treatment (P<0.05). ②In term of total effective rate in follow-up, acupuncture, moxibustion, acupoint thread-embedding and auricular point therapy were superior to western medication (P<0.05); acupuncture and moxibustion were superior to acupoint application (P<0.05). Moxibustion was most likely to be the best treatment (P<0.05). ③In term of total score of nasal symptom, moxibustion and acupoint thread-embedding were superior to acupuncture (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on allergic rhinitis is better than western medication, and acupoint thread-embedding has the best curative effect.