Antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of the proprietary Chinese medicine Shexiang Baoxin pill in mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress

Figures

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  Fig. 1. The effects of the SBP on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression-like behavior in sucrose preference test (SPT) (A), forced-swimming test (FST) (B), and tail suspension test (TST) (C). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 8–14) and examined with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett’s test: ***P < 0.001 compared with Vehicle + CUMS group.

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  Fig. 2. The effects of the SBP on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced anxiety-like behavior in open field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test. (A) Duration in the central zone in the OPT; (B) number of entries into the central zone in the OFT; (C) Duration in the open arms in EPM; (D) number of entries into the open arms in EPM. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 8–14) and examined with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett’s test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared with Vehicle + CUMS group.

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  Fig. 3. The effects of the SBP on serum levels of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) (A) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (B) in mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 4) and examined with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett’s test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared with Vehicle + CUMS group.

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  Fig. 4. The effects of the SBP on the contents of monoaminergic neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the hippocampus and striatum of mice with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The left column indicates striatal dopamine (DA) (A), its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (B), and the turnover ratio (C). The right column represents 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), a metabolite of norepinephrine degradation in the striatum (D) and hippocampus (E). Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 4–6) and examined with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett’s test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared with Vehicle + CUMS group.

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  Fig. 5. The effects of the SBP on the three neurotrophins, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (A, B), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) (C, D), and nerve growth factor (NGF) (E, F), in the hippocampus (left column) and cerebral cortex (right column). Plots C and E share the same glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) control bands and plots D and F share the same GAPDH control bands. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 3–6) and examined with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post hoc Dunnett’s test: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared with Vehicle + CUMS group.