• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.61-73
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to assess anti-depressive effects of Bee Venom(BV) on an Animal Model of Depression induced immobility stress. Methods : There was 2 pre-experiments MTT(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and Western blot test and 3 main experiments ; forced swimming test, tail suspension test and Y-maze task. Male rats were used for main experiment. The subject was divided into 4 groups(1. control group injected only saline, without immobility stress 2. Negative group injected saline after 2 hours immobility stress 3. Positive group injected Amitriptyline after 2 hours immobility stress 4. BV group injected Bee Venom after 2 hours immobility stress). Each group consisted of 6 rats. Forced swimming test, tail suspension test, Y-maze task were used to evaluate anti-depressive effect of Bee Venom. Results : In MTT assay, as the density of BV increased, the existence rate of primary neuronal cell increased. In Western blot test, the density of CREB and AKT was increasing as time went by. In forced swimming test, BV group showed immobility decreased more than Normal group and Positive group. In tail suspension test, Normal group and Positive group showed immobility decreased more than BV group. In Y-maze task, BV group showed immobility decreased more than Normal group, but Positive group showed immobility decreased more than BV group. Conclusions : These results suggest that Bee Venom may have anti-depressive effect on depression.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.99-106
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• 2009

Objectives : The antidepressant effect of the subchronic administration of the methanolic extract of wild ginseng(WG) was investigated compared with that of cultivated ginseng(CG, panax ginseng) extract. Methods : To assess the antidepressant effect of the ginseng extracts, tail suspension test(TST) was executed in mice after daily administration of WG or CG extract for five consecutive days. Results : The WG extract at daily dose of 600mg/kg significantly reduced the total duration of immobility in the TST, whereas there was no significant reduction at daily dose of 300mg/kg WG and 600mg/kg CG. There were no individual differences between experimental groups in open field test (OFT) to evaluate psychostimulant effects of WG or CG extract. In the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) analysis of the extracts, it was found that WG included four times more ginsenoside Rg1 and Re, three times more Rf, and six times more Rb1 and Rc than CG. Conclusions : It is suggested that WG extract has stronger antidepressant effect than CG extract, which means it includes more antidepressant compounds than CG.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.196-202
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• 2014

Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders and has been associated with the neuroendocrine system and alterations in behavior. Schisandra chinensis Baillon is one of major medicinal plants used as a Korea medicine and food sources, and has been processed in the fields of various food products and medicinal herbs. The chronic mild stress (CMS) protocol is widely used to evoke depressive-like behaviors in laboratory mice or rat. The CMS procedure induced some behavioral changes that are compatible with the common expectations, i.e. 'anhedonic' behavior and can affect corticosterone level. The present study, Schisandra chinensis extract administration by daily gavage from the 3 weeks exhibited an antidepressant-like effect on CMS-induced depression in mice. Schisandra chinensis extract administration at dose of 200mg/kg significantly increased the sucrose consumption, and decreased the immobility durations in forced swim test and tail suspension test. Furthermore the corticosterone level decreased than control group. In conclusion, Schisandra chinensis extract showed antidepressant-like effects on sucrose preference test, forced swimming test and tail suspension test based on CMS model.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.7-13
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• 2014

Objectives : Chronic mild stress (CMS) model is currently recognized as a better animal model of depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the Nelumbo nucifera leave extract using CMS model. Methods : The antidepressant-like effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract was determined by using animal models of depression. Male ICR mice were divided into four groups: saline-treated normal, without CMS; saline-treated stress control; CMS+ Imipramine(20mg/kg); CMS+Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract(200mg/kg). All mice except the normal group exposed an unpredicted sequence of chronic mild stressors for 5 weeks. The behavior of mice were detected by sucrose preference test, forced swim test and tail suspension test. Then concentration of corticosterone in serum was detected by enzyme immunoassay. Results : Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract administration by daily gavage from the 3rd week exhibited an antidepressant-like effect on CMS-induced depression in mice. Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract administration at dose of 200 mg/kg significantly increased the sucrose consumption, and decreased the immobility durations in forced swim test and tail suspension test. Furthermore the corticosterone level decreased than control group. Conclusions : Chronic mild stress can affect mouse behavior and corticosterone level and cause depression. The present experiments not only further confirm the antidepressant-like effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract in the sucrose preference test, forced swimming test and tail suspension test, but also the improving effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract on the depression-like symptoms in the CMS model. Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract has the antagonism on CMS and produce antidepressive effects.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.49-64
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• 2009

Objectives : The water and methanol extracts of Aconitum carmichaeli(Aconiti Tuber Preparat) were investigated for their anti-depressant effects. Methods : In this study, reserpine-induced hypothermia test, tail suspension test and hot plate test. Additionally, the brain monoamine oxidase activity was determined in vivo. Results: In the reserpine-induced hypothermia test, both extracts suppressed the fall of body temperature compared to the control group in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting the inhibition on hypothermia. In the tail suspension test, the methanol extract dose-dependently reduced the duration of immobility by 28.4% at a dose of 1 g/kg compared to control group, which is more effective than the water extract. In the hot plate test, the water extract and methanol extract increased the jump latency time compared to the control group, showing the inhibition rate of 198% and 182%, respectively, at a dose of 1 g/kg. Methanol extracts potently inhibited the brain monoamine oxidase activity in an in vivo assay compared to the control group, showing 84.6% inhibition, but the water extract revealed very weak activity. Conclusions : Above results suggested that the extract of Aconitum carmichaeli can be useful for the prevention and treatment of depression.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2013

Objectives : A growing body of evidence has suggested that the dysfunction of glutamatergic systems plays a pivotal role in major depressive disorder (MDD). This study was performed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the ethanolic extract of Gastrodia elata Bl (GE) in mouse models and to investigate the role of ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors in producing these antidepressant-like effects. Methods : The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to investigate GE's behavioral effects in mice. Additional biochemical and behavioral experiments with NBQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist, were undertaken to determine whether the antidepressant-like properties of GE are involved in AMPA receptor throughput. Results : Oral administration of GE extract (1,600 mg/kg) 1h prior to testing significantly reduced the immobility times in the FST and TST. These antidepressant-like effects of GE extract were increased dose-dependently. Pre-treatment with NBQX significantly attenuated the reduction in immobility time induced by the GE extract in the FST and TST. Conclusions : The ethanolic extract of GE may exert antidepressant-like effects with involvement of AMPA receptor.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.765-771
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• 2014

During the acceptance test of KTX, unexpectedly great lateral vibration in 14th~16th train at 150km/h~200km/h was appeared on a straight line in the winter season. Generally, stiffness of secondary suspension in KTX vehicle is one of the most sensitive components on air temperature. So, we examined that the secondary suspension to be mounted heating system was able to reduce the lateral vibration in the tail car of KTX. Also, we verified that lateral vibration from test results on KTX train with wheel conicity 1/20 disappeared. In this paper, we analysis effective reduction methods and the cause of the lateral vibration using model of KTX train and compare with the test results. The analysis results agree well with test ones. From mode analysis result, lateral vibration is occurred at natural frequency range 0.5~0.6Hz with a negative damping value and its natural frequency disappear gradually according to increasing of wheel concinicy.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.263-268
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• 2014

The etiology of most psychiatric disorders is still incompletely understood. However, growing evidence suggests that stress is a potent environmental risk factor for depression and anxiety. In rodents, various stress paradigms have been developed, but psychosocial stress paradigms have received more attention than non-social stress paradigms because psychosocial stress is more prevalent in humans. Interestingly, some recent studies suggest that chronic psychosocial stress and social isolation affects mainly anxiety-related behaviors in mice. However, it is unclear whether chronic non-social stress induces both depression- and anxiety-related phenotypes or induces one specific phenotype in mice. In the present study, we examined the behavioral consequences of three chronic non-social stress paradigms: chronic predictable (restraint) stress (CPS), chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), and repeated corticosterone-HBC complex injection (RCI). Each of the three paradigms induced mild to severe depression/despair-like behaviors in mice and resulted in increased immobility in a tail suspension test. However, anxiety-related phenotypes, thigmotaxis and explorative behaviors, were not changed by the three paradigms. These results suggest that depression- and anxiety-related phenotypes can be dissociated in mouse stress models and that social and non-social stressors might affect brain circuits and behaviors differently.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.101-119
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• 2004

Ginseng Radix Alba and Cyperi Rhizoma were investigated for their anti-depressant effects. For this purpose, forced-swimming test, tail suspension test, hot plate test, reserpine-induced hypothermia, aggressive behavior test were performed. In addition, the brain content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid(a metabolite of serotonin), the monoamine oxidase activity, anticonvulsant effect, sleep enhancement effect were determined. The results are as follows: In the forced swimming test, Ginseng Radix diminished the duration of immobility by 45.5% compared to the control group, while Cyperi Rhizoma showed weaker effect (12.4% reduction) at 2g/kg. In the tail suspension test, the effect of Ginseng Radix(43.7% reduction) are also better than that of Cyperi Rhizoma(15.6% reduction) at 2g/kg. In the hot plate test, Ginseng Radix showed no difference as compared to control, while Cyperi Rhizoma increased the jump latency time by about 25% after administration for 10 days. In the reserpine-induced hypothermia test, both drugs slowly dropped the body temperature compared to the control group, especially the rate of hypothermia of Ginseng Radix was 24.0% at 1g/kg. In the aggressive behavior test, both drugs delayed the onset time, decreased the duration and frequency, of which effects were better in Cyperi Rhizoma. The content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in mice brain was slightly increased in Ginseng Radix, while Cyperi Rhizoma increased its level almost to the control group. Both drugs inhibited the monoamine oxidase activity in a dose-dependent manner, but the effect(51.2%) of Cyperi Rhizoma was more potent than the effect(11.8%) of Ginseng Radix. In the pentobarbital-induced sleep test, Cyperi Rhizoma exhibited no significant difference against the control group, while Ginseng Radix showed about two-fold enhancement at 2g/kg. The anticonvulsant effect of both drugs delayed the onset time, shortened the duration of convulsion and diminished the lethality, but Ginseng Radix were better than Cyperi Rhizoma.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.13-17
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• 2015

Objectives : Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlstedt has been reported to have several biological properties such as skin hydration and antiinflammation. The purpose of this study was to examine the antidepressive effects of water extract of T. platycarpum (WTP) on an animal model of depression. Methods : In the present study, normal ICR mice (4 weeks) were used, and orally administered with WTP (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg). Depression-like behavior was monitored the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in mice. The locomotor activity was evaluated to eliminate the false-positive activity in the open field test (OFT). Fluoxetine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, as a positive control was intraperitoneally administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg at 30 min before starting the behavioral test. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of WTP on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/ cyclic AMP response-element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway in the hippocampus using Western blot. Results : The administration of WTP (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05, respectively) reduced the immobility time during FST and TST without accompanying changes in locomotor activity by OFT. Furthermore, WTP at dose of 100 mg/kg increased the BDNF expression and the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB in the hippocampus region. Conclusions : These results suggest that WTP has a useful anti-depressant effect through the regulation of BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway.