Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of Astaxanthin on Depressive-Like Behaviors in High-Fat Diet and Streptozotocin-Treated Rats

Abstract

The comorbidity of diabetes and depression has a negative impact on both lifestyle and quality of life. Astaxanthin (AST) has been demonstrated to improve glucose metabolism and has antidepressant-like effects, but it is not clear whether AST has potential for preventing depression in diabetes. The aim of this study is to observe the preventive and therapeutic effects of AST on glucose metabolism or depressive-like behaviors in a diabetic rat model produced by feeding with a high-fat diet for 10 weeks followed by injection of 25 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Preventive treatment with AST at doses of 7.5, 15, and 25 mg/kg/day was given by intragastric gavage 4 weeks before STZ injection. Preventive plus therapeutic treatment also involved therapeutic AST treatments for 6 more weeks after STZ injection, whereas therapeutic-only treatment involved only the 6-week post-STZ treatment. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated at the end of the treatment by using open field, locomotor activity, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming tests. Preventive and therapeutic treatment with AST both reduced the level of fasting glucose, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased total TCh and TG in diabetic rats. Preventive or preventative plus therapeutic treatment with AST decreased the immobility time and increased the time spent in the open arms of an elevated plus maze and locomotor activity in diabetic rats. However, therapeutic treatment with AST alone failed to affect the depressive-like behaviors. Preventive or preventative plus therapeutic treatment with AST at doses of 15 or 25 mg/kg significantly increased the expression of pERK, pAKT, pCREB, and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in diabetic rats. In contrast, therapeutic treatment with 25 mg/kg AST alone increased the expression of pERK in the PFC. This study indicates that AST may be used as a preventive or therapeutic approach for comorbidity of diabetes and depression.

Long-term supplementation of dehydroepiandrosterone improved depressive-like behaviors by increasing BDNF expression in the hippocampus in ovariectomized rats

“…After placing at room temperature for 30 min, the collected blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatant was used for further analyses. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were determined using an automatic biochemical analyzer [ 24 ].…”

“…The OFT was performed as previously described in rodents [ 24 , 25 ]. Briefly, the rats were individually placed in a white plexiglass box (160 cm × 160 cm × 25 cm); the bottom of the box was divided into 16 identical squares in a dimly lit room.…”

Anti-Apoptotic Effects of Carotenoids in Neurodegeneration

“…In models of brain injury and disease, treatment with astaxanthin attenuated the increase in levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, exerting an anti-inflammatory effect [136,137,141]. Administration of astaxanthin also attenuates depressive-like behaviors in rodents by preventing neuroinflammation [148][149][150] and regulating survival pathways including PI3K/Akt [151,152]. Decrease in cytokine levels may be due to astaxanthin inhibiting invasion of macrophages, the source of cytokine production [136].…”

Cell wall and cell membrane defects contribute to reduced cell growth at 28 °C in Phaffia rhodozyma mutant strain MK19

“…Astaxanthin from dietary sources is responsible for the orange-red coloration of salmon, lobster, and other seafood species, which cannot synthesize the compound de novo. Astaxanthin, particularly that from natural sources, is utilized extensively in the food, aquaculture, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries because of its distinctive coloration and antioxidant properties [1, [9][10][11][12].…”