Antidepressant-like effect of essential oil of Perilla frutescens in a chronic,unpredictable, mild stress-induced depression model mice

Perilla frutescens（Perilla leaf）, a garnishing vegetable in East Asian countries, as well as a plant-based medicine, has been used for centuries to treat various conditions, including depression. Several studies have demonstrated that the essential oil of P. frutescens（EOPF） attenuated the depressive-like behavior in mice. The present study was designed to test the anti-depressant effects of EOPF and the possible mechanisms in an chronic, unpredictable, mild stress（CUMS）-induced mouse model. With the exposure to stressor once daily for five consecutive weeks, EOPF（3, 6, and 9 mg·kg-1） and a positive control drug fluoxetine（20 mg·kg-1） were administered through gastric intubation to mice once daily for three consecutive weeks from the 3rd week. Open-field test, sucrose consumption test, tail suspension test（TST）, and forced swimming test（FST） were used to evaluate the behavioral activity. The contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine（5-HT） and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid（5-HIAA）, in mouse hippocampus were determined by HPLC–ECD. Serum interleukin（IL）-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α levels were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. The results showed that CUMS significantly decreased the levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in the hippocampus, with an increase in plasma IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels. CUMS also reduced open-field activity, sucrose consumption, as well as increased immobility duration in FST and TST. EOPF administration could effectively reverse the alterations in the concentrations of 5-HT and 5-HIAA; reduce the IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels. Moreover, EOPF could effectively reverse alterations in immobility duration, sucrose consumption, and open-field activity. However, the effect was not dose-dependent. In conclusion, EOPF administration exhibited significant antidepressant-like effects in mice with CUMS-induced depression. The antidepressant activity of EOPF might be related to the relation between alteration of seroto     

紫苏梗的化学成分研究

目的:研究紫苏梗的化学成分。方法:采用硅胶柱色谱、Sephadex LH-20柱色谱等对紫苏梗95%乙醇提取物的乙酸乙酯部位进行分离纯化,根据波谱学数据和理化性质进行结构鉴定。结果:共分离并鉴定了6个化合物,分别为:胡萝卜苷(1)、齐墩果酸(2)、常春藤皂苷元(3)、芹菜素(4)、2,6-二甲氧基苯醌(5)、肌醇(6)。结论:化合物1、3、4、5和6均为首次从紫苏梗中分离得到。