Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Mar 2024)

Wenyang-Tianjing-Jieyu Decoction Improves Depression Rats of Kidney Yang Deficiency Pattern by Regulating T Cell Homeostasis and Inflammation Level

  • Zhang T,
  • Wang J,
  • Wang Y,
  • He L,
  • Lv S,
  • Wang Y,
  • Li W

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 20
pp. 631 – 647

Abstract

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Tian Zhang, Jiexin Wang, Yi Wang, Linxi He, Shangbin Lv, Yiran Wang, Weihong Li Basic Medical College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Weihong Li, Basic Medical College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 610000, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +8613882014290, Email [email protected]: Chronic inflammation is one of the key mechanisms of depression. Wenyang-Tianjin-Jie Decoction (WTJD) is an effective antidepressant found in the course of diagnosis and treatment, but the mechanism of therapeutic effect is not clear. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of WTJD in the kidney yang deficiency (KYD) type of depression rats and reveal its mechanisms.Materials and Methods: We selected forty 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats for the study. We established a KYD [Phellodendron amurense Rupr (Huangbai) solution oral gavage and 4°C environments; 8 weeks] type of depression (chronic unpredictable mild stimulus; 6 weeks) rat model first. After successful modeling, we used WTJD or fluoxetine on rats for 3 weeks. Then we evaluated the depression and KYD behavior. Finally, we observed the expression of key inflammatory factors and proteins in peripheral blood and hippocampus, and further investigated the immune balance of Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cells and the activity of their main regulatory pathways JAK2/STAT3 and TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB.Results: The imbalance of Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cells in rats were related to KYD and depressive symptoms. Through this study, we found that WTJD can inhibit the activity of JAK2/STAT3 and TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB pathways, balance Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cell homeostasis, regulate the levels of inflammatory factors in the hippocampus and peripheral blood, and reverse KYD and depression.Conclusion: This study confirmed that WTJD had a reliable effect on depression rats with KYD, and its mechanism was to regulate the immune homeostasis of hippocampal T cells and related inflammatory factors to improve KYD and depression symptoms in rats.Keywords: depression, immune homeostasis, inflammation, traditional Chinese medicine, hippocampus

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