Caffeic acid attenuates the decrease of cortical BDNF transcript IV mRNA induced by swim stress in wild-type but not in 5-lipoxygenase-deficient mice.

Caffeic acid is a natural compound that inhibits 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). In mice, caffeic acid produces antidepressant-like effects and attenuates the decrease in cortical brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA induced by forced swimming. We used wild-type and 5-LOX-deficient mice and found that swimming reduced the cortical content of BDNF exon IV but not exon I mRNA. The BDNF transcript IV decrease was attenuated by caffeic acid in wild-type but not in 5-LOX-deficient mice, suggesting a role for 5-LOX in BDNF regulation.