Silibinin ameliorates anxiety/depression-like behaviors in amyloid β-treated rats by upregulating BDNF/TrkB pathway and attenuating autophagy in hippocampus

• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.07.023
• Publication Date: 2017-07-19T22:00:17Z
• Authors: Xiaoyu Song; Bo Liu; Lingyu Cui; Biao Zhou; Weiwei Liu; Fanxing Xu; Toshihiko Hayashi; Shunji Hattori; Yuko Ushiki-Kaku; Shin-ichi Tashiro; Takashi Ikejima
• Keywords: Male; Neurons; Psychotropic Drugs; 0303 health sciences; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Depression; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Anxiety; Hippocampus; Peptide Fragments; 3. Good health; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Disease Models, Animal; 03 medical and health sciences; Neuroprotective Agents; Piperidines; Alzheimer Disease; Indans; Autophagy; Animals; Receptor, trkB; Donepezil

Depression is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Depression and anxiety are associated with increased risk of developing AD. Silibinin, a flavonoid derived from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has been used as a hepato-protectant in the clinical treatment of liver diseases. In this study, the effect of silibinin on Aβ-induced anxiety/depression-like behaviors in rats was investigated. Silibinin significantly attenuated anxiety/depression-like behaviors caused by Aβ1-42-treatment as shown in tail suspension test (TST), elevated plus maze (EPM) and forced swimming tests (FST). Moreover, silibinin was able to attenuate the neuronal damage in the hippocampus of Aβ1-42-injected rats. Silibinin-treatment up-regulated the function through BDNF/TrkB pathway and attenuated autophagy in the hippocampus. Our study provides a new insight into the protective effects of silibinin in the treatment of anxiety/depression.