[Effects of ginsenosides on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress].

Gingseng is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine community for the treatment of depression-like disorders. Ginsenosides is considered to be the major active components of ginseng. Previous studies have demonstrated that ginsenosides produced antidepressant-like action in various mouse models of behavioral despair. The present study aimed to examine whether ginsenosides could affect the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression in rats. The mechanism(s) underlying the antidepressant-like action was investigated by measuring serum corticosterone level, glucocorticoid receptor (GR), mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA levels in brain tissues. CUMS, being lasted for 6 weeks, caused depression-like behavior in rats, as indicated by the significant decrease in sucrose consumption and increase in immobility time in the forced swim test. Whereas serum corticosterone level was significantly increased in rats exposed to CUMS, expressions of GR mRNA in hippocampus, and BDNF mRNA in hippocampus and frontal cortex, were decreased in CUMS-treated rats. Daily intragastric administration of ginsenosides (12.5, 25, 50 mg x kg(-1)) during the six weeks of CUMS significantly suppressed behavioral and biochemical changes induced by CUMS. However, there was no significant difference in MR mRNA level among groups. The results suggest that the antidepressant-like action of ginsenosides is likely mediated by modulating the function of hypothalamic- pituitary -adrenal axis and increasing the expression of BDNF in brain tissues.