Effect of Chinese medicine of replenishing the liver and kidney on the system of 5-HT in perimenopausal depression model rats / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of Chinese medicine of replenishing the liver and kidney on the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)in hippocampus and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2)in median raphe nuclei in perimenopausal depression model rats and to explore its mechanism.Methods The animal model was established by resecting the ovaries of female rats,then giving isolation-housing in combination with 21 days of chronic unexpected mild stress(CUMS).High performance liquid chromatogram-electrochemical detection(HPLC-ECD)were employed to measure 5-HT in hippocampus,the hemi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and fluorescence immunohistochemistry were employed to detect the relative expression of TPH2 mRNA and number of TPH2 immunoreactive neurons in median raphe nuclei.Results The concentration of 5-HT in hippocampus was increased in rats of the medicine group compared with that in the model group((2543.06±859.59)ng/g tissue,(1845.81±233.55)ng/g tissue,F=9.617,P＞0.05).RT-PCR showed that the relative expression of TPH2 mRNA in medicine group was much higher than that in model group ((1.282±0.158),(0.985±0.120),F=3.552,P＜0.05).Immunofluorescence showed that the number of TPH2 immunoreaetive neurons in raphe nuclei had statistical significance between medicine group and model group ((152.74±68.52),(74.12±38.01),F=7.939,P＜0.01).Conclusion Chinese medicine replenishing liver and kidney have effects of improving perimenopausal depression,increasing the expression of TPH2 in median raphe nuclei,which leads to enhance the synthesis of 5-HT in hippocampus might be one of its mechanisms.