Abstract:To determine the effects and mechanism of Angelica sinensis volatile oil (ASVO) on depressive behavior, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression mouse models were established. Mice were divided into normal, model, low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose ASVO (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg, respectively), and fluoxetine hydrochloride (2.1 mg/kg) groups. After four weeks of intervention, the number of central zone crossing, central zone activity duration, and sucrose preference were increased (P<0.01) while the tail suspension time was reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01) in all ASVO groups compared with those in the model group. The pathological changes in the hippocampal CA1 region were alleviated, and the contents of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) decreased (P<0.01) while that of IL-10 increased (P<0.01). Despite no significant changes in the dopamine (DA) content and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) expression in the brain tissue of mice in the low-dose ASVO group (P>0.05), the contents of DA, norepinephrine (NE), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), NT-3, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased in the other groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). These results indicate that ASVO can improve CUMS-induced depressive behavior in mice, which is related to the inhibition of neuroinflammation, upregulation of monoamine neurotransmitter contents, and promotion of neurotrophic factor expression.
