St. John's Wort Extract Ze 117 and Escitalopram Alter Plasma and Hippocampal Lipidome in a Rat Model of Chronic-Stress-Induced Depression.

ABSTRACT: Chronic stress is a key factor in the development of depression. It leads to hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which in turn increases the formation of glucocorticoids (GCs). Chronically elevated GC levels disrupt neuroplasticity and affect brain lipid metabolism, which may, ultimately, contribute to the development of depression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the antidepressants St. John's Wort extract and escitalopram on lipid metabolism in vivo. Therefore, repeated corticosterone injections were used to induce depression-like behavior in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were stressed with corticosterone injections (40 mg/kg, s.c.) over 22 consecutive days and were concomitantly treated with varying doses of the St. John's wort extract Ze 11

SUBMITTER: Bussmann H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11641671 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature