Hongbiao Chu, Rui Li, Yanguo Gao
Dec 10, 2020
Citations
0
Influential Citations
4
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica - Drug Research
Abstract
: Aucubin, an active plant constituent used in natural medicine, exerts wide-ranging biological effects. However, there have been few reports on the anxiolytic and antidepressant activities of aucubin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of this compound in mice, which were assayed using elevated plus maze (EPM), light/dark box, forced swimming, and tail suspension tests. Mechanisms of action underlying the observed behaviors were examined using high-performance liquid chro- matography with fluorescence detection to determine the levels of five neurotransmitters in the brains of treated mice. In the open arm EPM test, the administration of aucubin promoted significant increases in the per- centage of open arm entries and time spent in the open arms. Results of the light/dark box test revealed a clear increase in the amount of time spent in the light chamber, whereas in the forced swimming and tail suspension tests, aucubin was found to significantly reduce the duration of immobility. Neurochemical evaluations revealed significant changes in the levels of neurotransmitters in cerebral tissue. Collectively, these findings indicate that aucubin has potential anxiolytic and antidepressant activities and that the underlying mechanism may be related to alterations in neurotransmitter levels.