The Protective Effect of Modified Sini Powder on Hippocampus Injury in Chronic Stressed Depression Rats

Objective To investigate the protective effect of Modified Sini Powder(Modified powder for treating cold limbs)on hippocampus injury in chronic stressed depression rats.Methods Multi-stressors were adopted to establish the rat model of chronic stressed depression.Totally 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:the control group,model group,and Modified Sini Powder group.Hippocampal neuron apoptosis rate,content of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)and its receptor TrkB protein,and Ca2+ concentration in neurons of each group were observed.Results Stressed rats in the model group had significantly higher hippocampal neuron apoptosis rate than those in the control group,BDNF and its receptor TrkB were decreased in expression,and Ca2+ concentration in neurons was significantly higher(P0.05 or P0.01).In the Modified Sini Powder group,hippocampal neuron apoptosis rate was lowered,BDNF and TrkB protein expression increased,and Ca2+ concentration in neurons decreased,the difference was significant in comparison with those of the model group(P0.05 or P0.01).Conclusion Modified Sini Powder can improve depression by up-regulating the expression of BDNF in hippocampal neurons and decreasing intracellular Ca2+ concentration.