SuHeXiang Essential Oil Inhalation Produces Antidepressant- and Anxiolytic-Like Effects in Adult Mice

Abstract

SuHeXiang (SHX) has been used to treat a wide range of diseases, including those related to the central nervous system. However, the effects of SHX on mood disorders are still elusive. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SHX essential oil on stress-induced depression of mice. In an acute stress-induced depression model, mice inhaled vehicle (1% Tween 80) for 10 min or 10% SHX for 10 or 30 min once daily for 12 continuous days. In the chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depression model, mice were exposed to a 28-d CMS treatment. Tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), and novelty suppressed feeding (NSF) test were conducted. In addition, serum levels of angiogenin (ANG), thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assays. The results showed that in mice exposed to acute stress, repeated SHX inhalation exerted significant antidepressant and anxiolytic activities, and also reduced the serum levels of ANG, TPO, IL-6, and TNF-α. It also significantly reversed the depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, and reduced the serum levels of ANG and TPO in mice exposed to CMS. This is the first report to show that SHX inhalation could produce significant antidepressant and anxiolytic-like effects. These effects might be mediated by SHX ability to modulate the inflammatory response, and reduce dysfunction of vascular genesis and thrombosis. These results support further exploration for developing SHX inhalation as a novel therapeutic strategy for depression and stress-related disorders.

Brazilin Treatment Produces Antidepressant- and Anxiolytic-Like Effects in Mice

“…51) Various depressive-and anxiety-like behaviors in mice model, like the decreased sucrose preference in SPT and the increased latency to feeding in NSF, could be induced by the chronic stress in mice model and can be alleviated by plant extracted compounds (i.e., sulforaphane, tea polyphenol). 15,23) To investigate whether brazilin also has the antidepressantlike and anxiolytic effects, CMS-induced depression mice model was carried out and behavioral tests (SPT, OFT and NSF) were conducted. The results showed that continuous 7-d administration of brazilin significantly increased sucrose preference of CMS-treated mice as well as fluoxetine treatment, Brazilin significantly decreased the latency to feeding (D) without affecting the total feeding in home cage (E) of chronically stressed mice during the NSF test.…”

“…8,52,53) Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory therapeutics have attracted more and more attention for development of antidepressants. 15,52) It was reported that several molecules, such as inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenases (COX1/COX2), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and NO, were related to the development of depression and antidepressant treatment. 8,9,54) The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation and other pharmacological activities of Sumu and/or its extracts have been well investigated in vivo and in vitro.…”

“…Introduction of CMS in Mice and Treatment CMS model of depression in mice was conducted based on our previous studies. 15,23) Mice were treated once a day for 28 d with two randomly chosen stressors from following: 2 h-restraint, 5 min-forced cold swimming, 24 h-water deprivation, 12 hfood deprivation, 24 h-tilted cages, 24 h-soiled bedding, 24 hlight/dark cycle reversal, 1 min-tail clamping, 24 h-crowded space and 24 h-bedding deprivation. And from the 21st day of their 28-d treatment, the CMS mice were randomly divided into 4 sub-groups (CMS + Vehicle, CMS + Brazilin 3 mg/kg, CMS + Brazilin 10 mg/kg and CMS + Fluoxetine) and intraperitoneally injected with saline (10 mL/kg), brazilin (3 mg/kg), brazilin (10 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) daily for continuous 7 d. Meanwhile, mice in Naïve group were raised in their home cage for 28 d without any stressor treatment.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14] Our previous studies reported that several extracts from natural herb, such as sulforaphane, cipadesin A and Suhexiang have antidepressant-and anxiolytic-like effects with no significant side effects in mice. [15][16][17] Sumu, part of the plant Caesalpinia sappan L. and a classic medicine used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in China for its circulatory promoting and antiinflammation effects. Brazilin, the main homoisoflavonoid constituent from Sumu heartwood (molecular structure in Fig.…”

Dietary essential oil from navel orange alleviates depression in reserpine‐treated mice by monoamine neurotransmitters

“…Depression is one of the most devastating mental illnesses with substantial morbidity and high suicide rate, and it contributes to the global burden of disease resulting in serious consequences . The main problem in treating depression is that most of the antidepressants used in the clinic have significant limitations.…”