Article
LI Pengfan, XU Senhua, ZHANG Haihong, SHI Liqiang, YANG Chenghao, FAN Chunxiang
Objective To explore the effects and mechanism of Liqi Jieyu formula on the behavioral changes and
the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis function in a rat model of post-stroke depression(PSD).
Methods A total of 45 SD rats were selected and randomly divided into the normal group, the model group, the positive
control group, the high-dose group and the low-dose group. The PSD animal model was established by embolizing the middle cerebral artery combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress, and the treatment was administered continuously
for 21 days. Before the establishment of the model, body weight and behavioral assessments were conducted on the rats at
days 7, 14, and 21. Hematoxylin eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the structure changes in the hippocampal tissue.
The levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) and corticosterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay. Western blotting was used to analyze the protein expression levels of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor(GR)
and hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone(CRH). Results Compared with the model group, the body weights of
the positive control group, the high-dose group and the low-dose group all increased significantly(P＜0.05). D21, the
immobility time in the model group was significantly longer than that in the normal group(P＜0.01), while the positive
control group, high-dose group, and low-dose group were significantly shorter than those in the model group(P＜0.01).
D21, the consumption levels in the positive control group, the high-dose group, and the low-dose group were all
significantly higher than those in the model group(P＜0.01). D21, the scores for vertical and horizontal movements in
the positive control group, the high and low dose groups were all significantly higher than those in the model group(P＜
0.05). The HE staining results indicated that the pathological damage in the cerebral cortex was significantly improved
in all treatment groups compared to the model group. The main effects of the serum ACTH(F＝8.911, P＜0.01) and
corticosterone(F＝23.51, P＜0.01) levels in each group were significant. The serum ACTH and corticosterone levels
in the positive control group and the high-dose group were significantly lower than those in the model group(P＜0.01).
Western blotting results showed that compared with the model group, the expression of CRH decreased and GR increased
in all treatment group. Conclusion Liqi Jieyu formula can effectively alleviate the depressive-like behavior of PSD rats,
and its effect is closely related to the regulation of HPA axis function. The mechanism involves reducing serum ACTH and
corticosterone and the protein expression of CRH, increasing the expression of GR in the hippocampus, modulating HPA
axis function, thereby ameliorating symptoms in PSD model rats.
