Physiology & behavior
-
Physiology & behavior · May 2019
Macranthol attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behaviors by inhibiting neuroinflammation in prefrontal cortex.
Macranthol is a lignans natural product isolated from Illicium dunnianum Tutch. Our previous studies have shown that BDNF dependent signaling pathway activation was involved in the antidepressant-like effects of macranthol. However, it is not clear whether neuro-inflammation suppression is involved in the effects of macranthol. ⋯ In addition, LPS induced the elevation of CD11b in the prefrontal cortex, which was also inhibited by macranthol. Last but not the least, the immunofluorescence found that the number of positive iba-1 cells was also decreased by macranthol. These findings suggest that macranthol could alleviate depressive-like behaviors in mice induced by LPS that are mediated, at least by suppressing microglia-related neuro-inflammation in the prefrontal cortex.