INTRODUCTION Although numerous attempts have been made to create animal models of depression or at least of some pathophysiological aspects, only a few models have been adequately validated. The mouse forced swimming test (FST) is a useful paradigm that is relatively quick and simple to perform. The test is based on the observation that mice, after an initial struggling phase, develop an immobi...

Background: In animal studies, minocycline (Mcy) has been proven to have antidepressant effects. addition modulating peripheral and central pro-inflammatory pathways, Mcy may regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. This study aims evaluate antidepressant-like effect in mice following injection dexamethasone (Dex) or cyclos...

BACKGROUND Psychological stressors may cause affective disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by altering expressions of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), serotonin (5-HT), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the brain. This study investigated the effects of essential oil from Asarum heterotropoides (EOAH) on depression-like behaviors and brain expressions of CRF, 5-HT, and TH in mice chal...

Background: Parturition depression is an important physiological problem, and several attempts have been made to ascertain this phenomenon. Natural monoterpenes like α-pinene numerous beneficial properties, but no studies done on their antidepressant potential in postpartum animals. Objectives: This study aimed determine the effects of prenatal administration antidepressant-like behavior mice f...

Objective: Interferon-α (IFN) therapy can cause depressive symptom which may lead to drug discontinuation. By interfering with tryptophan pathway, the available level of tryptophan required for serotonin synthesis decreases which could be related to depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether soybean diet could improve IFN-induced depression. Materials and Methods: Male mice weigh...

BACKGROUND The antiepileptic drug lamotrigine is effective in the treatment of focal epilepsies. It is thought to act by inhibition of glutamate release through blockade of voltage-sensitive sodium channels and stabilization of the neuronal membrane. Lamotrigine is also effective in the treatment of mood disorders such as bipolar disorder. However, its exact mechanism of action in these conditi...

BACKGROUND Literature data show that administration of atypical antipsychotic drug, risperidone (RIS), enhances antidepressive action of fluoxetine (FLU). As antidepressive treatments also regulate immune functions, we examined whether combined administration of FLU and RIS to rats subsequently subjected to a forced swimming test (FST) modifies parameters of macrophage activity that are directl...

Given the evidence that maternal hyperthyroidism (MH) compromises expression of neuronal cytoskeletal proteins in the late fetal brain by accelerated neuronal differentiation, we investigated possible consequences of MH for the emotional and cognitive functions of adult offspring during acute and subchronic stress coping. Experimental groups consisted of male rat offspring from mothers implante...

OBJECTIVE Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of major depression. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) plays a crucial role in microglial activation caused by inflammation. The dye brilliant blue G (BBG) is a P2X7R antagonist. This study examined whether BBG shows antidepressant effects in an inflammation-induced mode...

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder. It is well established that endogenous nitric oxide (NO) contributes to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression. The aim of this study was to investigate brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) expression in CUMS-induced depression-like behaviour in rats. Rats were exposed to CUMS for 5 weeks. A specific and selective nNOS ...