Mechanisms of paeoniaceae action as an antidepressant

Wanxu Guo; Xiaoxiao Yao; Ranji Cui; Wei Yang; Lei Wang

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.934199

Mechanisms of paeoniaceae action as an antidepressant

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Feb 8:13:934199. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.934199. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Wanxu Guo¹, Xiaoxiao Yao¹, Ranji Cui¹, Wei Yang¹, Lei Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

Paeoniflorin (PF) has been widely used for the treatment of depression in mice models, some Chinese herbal compound containing PF on treating depression, such as Xiaoyao San, Chaihu-Shugan-San, Danggui Shaoyao San etc. Many experiments are also verifying whether PF in these powders can be used as an effective component in the treatment of depression. Therefore, in this review the antidepressant effect of PF and its mechanism of action are outlined with particular focus on the following aspects: increasing the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters, inhibiting the HPA axis, promoting neuroprotection, enhancing neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and elevating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This review may be helpful for the application of PF in the treatment of depression.

Keywords: antidepressant; apoptosis; depression; neuroinflammation; neuroprotection; paeoniflorin.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Jilin Science and Technology Agency (20180520124JH, 20180519003JH, 20190701078GH, and 20180414050 GH) and a Jilin Province Medical and Health Talents grant (2019SCZT007).