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Planta Med 2015; 81(03): 185-192
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1396150
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Original Papers
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Essential Oil of Syzygium aromaticum Reverses the Deficits of Stress-Induced Behaviors and Hippocampal p-ERK/p-CREB/Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression

Bin-Bin Liu
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Liu Luo
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Xiao-Long Liu
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Di Geng
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Cheng-Fu Li
2   Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Shao-Mei Chen
2   Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Xue-Mei Chen
2   Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Li-Tao Yi
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
,
Qing Liu
1   Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, P. R. China
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 01 February 2014
revised 23 November 2014

accepted 29 November 2014

Publication Date:
15 January 2015 (online)

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Abstract

Syzygium aromaticum has been widely used in traditional medicine. Our study investigated the safety and antidepressant-like effects of the essential oil of S. aromaticum after acute or long-term treatment. Using GC-MS, a total of eight volatile constituents were identified in the essential oil of S. aromaticum. The single LD50 was approximately 4500 mg/kg based on a 24-h acute oral toxicity study. In a long-term repeated toxicity study of this essential oil (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p. o.), only 400 mg/kg induced a significant decrease in body weight. In addition, no significant changes in relative organ weights and histopathological analysis were observed in all doses of essential oil-treated mice compared with the control group. Furthermore, acute S. aromaticum essential oil administration by gavage exerted antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test (200 mg/kg, p < 0.05) and tail suspension test (100 and 200 mg/kg, p < 0.05). Long-term S. aromaticum essential oil treatment via gavage significantly increased sucrose preference (50 mg/kg, p < 0.05; 100 and 200 mg/kg, p < 0.01) as well as elevated the protein levels of hippocampal p-ERK, p-CREB, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress. These results confirmed the safety of the essential oil of S. aromaticum and suggested that its potent antidepressant-like property might be attributed to the improvement in the hippocampal pERK1/2-pCREB-BDNF pathway in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress.

Key words

Syzygium aromaticum - Myrtaceae - essential oil - antidepressant - brain-derived neurotrophic factor - toxicity

Supporting Information

 

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