Study on antidepressant effects and mechanisms of total triterpenes from Poriae Cutis
- VernacularTitle:茯苓皮总三萜抗抑郁作用及机制研究
- Author:
Li SHEN
1
;
Yuying YANG
1
;
Jingyu YANG
1
;
Yue SHEN
1
;
Peng HU
1
;
Yuxi WU
1
;
Dan LIU
2
;
Xiaochuan YE
1
Author Information
1. Hubei Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources and Chemistry，School of Pharmacy，Hubei University of Chinese Medicine，Wuhan 430065，China
2. Hubei Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources and Chemistry，School of Pharmacy，Hubei University of Chinese Medicine，Wuhan 430065，China;Hubei Shizhen Laboratory，Wuhan 430065，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Poriae Cutis;
total triterpenes;
depression
- From:
China Pharmacy
2026;37(15):2003-2008
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To investigate the antidepressant effect and underlying mechanism of total triterpenes from Poriae Cutis （PCTT）. METHODS UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technology was adopted to analyze the chemical constituents of PCTT. Network pharmacology was applied to screen the antidepressant active ingredients， key targets and signaling pathways of PCTT， and molecular docking was performed to verify the binding capacity between potential active ingredients and core targets. In animal experiment， mice were intragastrically administered PCTT at doses of 80， 160 and 320 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days. Lipopolysaccharide was used to establish an acute depression mouse model. Subsequently， behavioral assays were conducted. The levels of serum inflammatory factors， hippocampal neurotransmitters and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） were detected. Western blot and qPCR assays were adopted to validate the antidepressant mechanism of PCTT. RESULTS A total of 101 chemical constituents were identified in PCTT. Network pharmacology screened out 10 potential active ingredients （including poriacosone B， poriacosone A， pachymic acid， etc.）， six core targets [including tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor， caspase-3， etc.]， as well as multiple signaling pathways including TNF and interleukin-17 （IL-17）. All 10 potential active ingredients exhibited strong binding affinity to the six core targets. Animal experimental results demonstrated that 320 mg/kg PCTT markedly increased the movement distance and movement speed of depression model mice （P＜0.05）， and shortened immobility time in tail suspension test and forced swimming test （P＜0.05）. PCTT reduced serum levels of IL-6， IL-1β and TNF-α， decreased hippocampal glutamate level； it also downregulated the relative mRNA expression of TNF-α， tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 （TNFR2）， phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K） and protein kinase B （AKT）， as well as TNFR2 protein expression and the ratios of phosphorylated-PI3K/PI3K，phosphorylated-AKT/AKT in the prefrontal cortex. Meanwhile， PCTT elevated the levels of 5- hydroxytryptamine， dopamine and BDNF in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS PCTT exerts antidepressant effects possibly by regulating the TNF-α/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to downregulate the expression of pro-inflammatory factors， thereby modulating the release of neurotransmitters and BDNF.
