Protective effect and mechanism of extracts of fruit of Taxus chinensis on hippocampus of chronic unpredictable mild stress rats
摘要 Objective:The ambitious research aimed to explore the protective impact and mechanism of the ethyl acetate extract of Taxus chinensis fruits(TCFE)on the hippocampi of rats subjected to chronic unpre-dictable mild stress(CUMS). Methods:A total of 32 SD rats were randomly allocated into the control group,model group,TCFE group receiving 200 mg/(kg·d)of TCFE,fluoxetine group receiving 2 mg/(kg.d)of fluoxetine.The rats were induced with chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)for 28 d,and concurrently administered the allo-cated drugs via gavage for the same duration.The body mass,performance in the open field test(OFT),and sugar-water preference rate of the rats in each group were assessed.The morphology of rat hip-pocampal tissues was examined using Hematoxylin-Eosin(HE)staining.Nissl staining was employed to observe hippocampal pathological changes,while ELISA was utilized to measure the levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-18 in the hippocampus.Immunofluorescence was employed to identify the expression of the microglia(MG)marker Iba1 in the rat hippocampus.Furthermore,immunohistochemistry was uti-lized to detect the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in the hippocampus.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was utilized to assess the expression levels of two apoptosis-related genes in the rat hip-pocampus.TUNEL assay was performed to detect tissue cell apoptosis in the rat hippocampus.Finally,Western blotting analysis was conducted to determine the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins in the hippocampus. Results:The consumption of TCFE significantly enhanced body weight(P<0.05),sucrose preference rate(P<0.05),and total movement distance in the open field test(P<0.05).It also improved hippocampal neuronal structure integrity and attenuated loss.Moreover,TCFE regulated the excessive activation of hippocampal microglia in rats,inhibited the expression of IL-1β and TNF-α(P<0.05),and modulated the Bax and Bcl-2 expression levels,leading to a significant alteration in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio(P<0.05). Conclusion:TCFE shows promise in attenuating cell apoptosis through the modulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio,suggesting a prospective approach for combating depression.
刊 名 中草药(英文版) ISTIC
年,卷(期): 2026, 18(3)
机标分类号: TH13 F822.0 TK16
在线出版日期: 2026年8月26日