Evaluation of the Antidepressant Effect of the Functional Beverage Containing Active Peptides, Menthol and Eleutherosides, and Investigation of Its Mechanism of Action in Mice

Abstract

SUMMARY Research background. Depression has become a global threat to human health. In order to solve it, researchers have conducted multi-faceted studies including diet. Many food-derived bioactive substances have shown antidepressant effects. However, there are few studies on the design of industrialized food with antidepressant effect. This study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant effect of a functional beverage made from several ingredients with potential antidepressant function and investigate its antidepressant mechanisms. Experimental approach. The beverage consists of peppermint oil, active peptides derived from bovine milk casein and Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) whose active ingredient is eleutheroside. Different amounts of ASE were evaluated to determine the optimal concentration of eleutheroside in this functional beverage to deliver best antidepressant effect through extensive behavioral testing including preliminary acute stress experiments and further chronic unpredictable mild stress test. Results and conclusions. The results demonstrated that the beverage with 15.00 mg/kg of eleutheroside could significantly reduce the mice’s immobility time of tail suspension test and forced swimming test, recover mice’s sucrose preference and behavior changes in the open-field test, improve the contents of dopamine, norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and the activity of superoxide dismutase and reduce the content of malondialdehyde in mice’s brains, which indicated that the improvement of monoamine neurotransmitter systems and antioxidation was one potential mechanism of antidepressant action. Novelty and scientific contribution. This study provides a design of antidepressant functional beverage and an efficient way for the prevention and treatment of depression.

Shugan Jieyu Capsule in Post-Stroke Depression Treatment: From Molecules to Systems

“…In mice with stress-induced behavioral alterations, administration of eleutheroside B and E could potently activate the HPA axis to decrease the elevated corticosterone concentration and relieve major depressive disorder ( Jung et al, 2013 ). Qi et al (2020) also drew a similar conclusion in depression-model mice: eleutheroside could significantly shorten the tail suspension test, and improve the contents of DA, NE, and 5-HT in the brain of mice.…”

New Insights into Antioxidant Peptides: An Overview of Efficient Screening, Evaluation Models, Molecular Mechanisms, and Applications

“…Antioxidant peptides can be the main ingredient of functional foods to ensure the nutritional value of products. As small molecules, antioxidant peptides have good absorption, utilization, and solubility in acidic media, and they are often developed as functional beverages in healthcare products [126,127]. Additionally, OS leads to the excessive production of ROS in food products or living tissues (meat products), which can further cause the oxidation of lipids and proteins.…”

Antidepressant-like Effects of Representative Types of Food and Their Possible Mechanisms

“…Caffeine, a widely consumed psychoactive substance in beverages such as Coca-Cola TM (Coke), tea, and coffee, exerts mild activating and mood-enhancing effects. Functional beverages crafted from various components possessing potential antidepressant properties exhibit notable antidepressant effects by enhancing the monoamine neurotransmitter system and exerting antioxidant effects [264]. In rats receiving CUS, long-term caffeine use has been shown to affect depression-like behavior, including withdrawal symptoms typical of other drug abuse, accompanied by increased levels of DA and 5-HT, suggesting that the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems may be involved [191].…”