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. 2021 Aug:140:111556.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111556. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Baicalein alleviates depression-like behavior in rotenone- induced Parkinson's disease model in mice through activating the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway

Xiaoyue Zhao  1 , Dewen Kong  1 , Qimeng Zhou  1 , Guangyi Wei  2 , Junke Song  1 , Yu Liang  1 , Guanhua Du  3
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Free article

Baicalein alleviates depression-like behavior in rotenone- induced Parkinson's disease model in mice through activating the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway

Xiaoyue Zhao et al. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Aug.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the world. In addition to motor symptoms, a variety of non-motor symptoms seriously affect the life quality of PD patients. Baicalein, a flavonoid extracted from the herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, exhibits anti-PD activity through alleviation of its motor symptoms. However, its effects on non-motor symptoms were barely reported. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of baicalein on PD-related depression.

Methods: After a 2-week injection of rotenone, mice with PD-related depression behavior were selected, divided into three groups, and administrated saline, baicalein, or madopar orally for four weeks. Behavior, neuroinflammation, neurotransmitters, and synaptic plasticity were evaluated.

Results: Our results showed that 4-week baicalein treatment significantly alleviated the depression-like behavior in the rotenone-induced mice model. Repeated baicalein treatment reduced α-synuclein aggregation, inhibited neuroinflammation, and maintained neurotransmitters homeostasis. Moreover, we found that baicalein treatment could remarkably protect the synaptic plasticity and activate the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway in the PD-related depression mice model. As traditional dopamine replacement therapy unleashed few effects on depression-like symptom amelioration and synaptic function protection, baicalein might be a more appropriate choice for PD-related depression.

Conclusions: The current results suggested that baicalein could act as a treatment for PD-related depression.

Keywords: BDNF; Baicalein; Depression; Parkinson’s disease; Rotenone.

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