• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.321-329
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• 2013

Rodents exposed to a 15-min pretest swim in the forced swimming test (FST) exhibit prolonged immobility in a subsequent 5-min test swim, and antidepressant treatment before the test swim reduces immobility. At present, neuronal circuits recruited by antidepressant before the test swim remain unclear, and also less is known about whether antidepressants with different mechanisms of action could influence neural circuits differentially. To reveal the neural circuits associated with antidepressant effect in the FST, we injected desipramine or citalopram 0.5 h, 19 h, and 23 h after the pretest swim and observed changes in c-Fos expression in rats before the test swim, namely 24 h after the pretest swim. Desipramine treatment alone in the absence of pretest swim was without effect, whereas citalopram treatment alone significantly increased the number of c-Fos-like immunoreactive cells in the central nucleus of the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, where this pattern of increase appears to be maintained after the pretest swim. Both desipramine and citalopram treatment after the pretest swim significantly increased the number of c-Fos-like immunoreactive cells in the ventral lateral septum and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray before the test swim. These results suggest that citalopram may affect c-Fos expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis distinctively and raise the possibility that upregulation of c-Fos in the ventral lateral septum and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray before the test swim may be one of the probable common mechanisms underlying antidepressant effect in the FST.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 1995

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the characteristics of red ginseng total saponin in behavioral changes on ambulation, forced swim test and convulsion in mice. The ambulation and the duration of immobility on forced swim test were not affected by red ginseng total saponin. On the other hand, the duration of immobility inducted by DMI, PGL but not CIP was significantly decreased, and the onset of convulsion induced by pentylenetetrazole was significantly shortened by preadministration of red ginseng total saponin. These results suggest that red ginseng total saponin component may play an important role in modulating synergism with drugs acting on depression and convulsion, and that the characteristics of synergetic effect induced by red ginseng total saponin potentate the central norepinephrine neuron activity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 2019

Behavioral analysis in mice provided important contributions in helping understand and treat numerous neurobehavioral and neuropsychiatric disorders. The behavioral performance of animals and humans is widely different among individuals but the neurobehavioral mechanism of the innate difference is seldom investigated. Many neurologic conditions share comorbid symptoms that may have common pathophysiology and therapeutic strategy. The forced swim test (FST) has been commonly used to evaluate the "antidepressant" properties of drugs yet the individual difference analysis of this test was left scantly investigated along with the possible connection among other behavioral domains. This study conducted an FST-screening in outbred CD-1 male mice and segregated them into three groups: high performers (HP) or the active swimmers, middle performers (MP), and low performers (LP) or floaters. After which, a series of behavioral experiments were performed to measure their behavioral responses in the open field, elevated plus maze, Y maze, three-chamber social assay, novel object recognition, delay discounting task, and cliff avoidance reaction. The behavioral tests battery revealed that the three groups displayed seemingly correlated differences in locomotor activity and novel object recognition but not in other behaviors. This study suggests that the HP group in FST has higher locomotor activity and novelty-seeking tendencies compared to the other groups. These results may have important implications in creating behavior database in animal models that could be used for predicting interconnections of various behavioral domains, which eventually helps to understand the neurobiological mechanism controlling the behaviors in individual subjects.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2003

This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of oxygen on motor activity and toxicity in male mice. The modified Porsolt forced swim test (FST) was used and the distance and time of movement by mice were analyzed in 15。C water bath for 20 minutes using the automatic Ethovision videotracking system. Analyses were carried out before and after 20 minutes of exposure to 10％-70％ concentration of normobaric oxygen. The effects of inspired oxygen tension on the distance and time of movement showed the similar trends, but changes in distance were more prominent. Both the distance and time of movement increased after exposure to 30％ and 40％ oxygen concentration. The distance and time of movement also increased upon exposure to 50％ and 60％ oxygen. In contrast, increases En movement and time under exposure to 21％ oxygen concentration were suppressed when exposed to over 50％ oxygen concentration. With exposure to 10％ oxygen, there was a significant decrease in the distance of movement and a slight suppression of movement time. During the swim test, 12.5％, 37.5％, and 87.5％ of the mice drowned after exposure to 10％, 60％, and 70％ oxygen concentration, respectively. These results suggest that motor activity can be enhanced by inspired oxygen up to 40％ concentration. When hypoxic and hyperoxic oxygen exposure over 50％, motor activity is reduced and toxicity may be induced.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2013

Objectives : A growing body of evidence has suggested that the dysfunction of glutamatergic systems plays a pivotal role in major depressive disorder (MDD). This study was performed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the ethanolic extract of Gastrodia elata Bl (GE) in mouse models and to investigate the role of ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors in producing these antidepressant-like effects. Methods : The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to investigate GE's behavioral effects in mice. Additional biochemical and behavioral experiments with NBQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist, were undertaken to determine whether the antidepressant-like properties of GE are involved in AMPA receptor throughput. Results : Oral administration of GE extract (1,600 mg/kg) 1h prior to testing significantly reduced the immobility times in the FST and TST. These antidepressant-like effects of GE extract were increased dose-dependently. Pre-treatment with NBQX significantly attenuated the reduction in immobility time induced by the GE extract in the FST and TST. Conclusions : The ethanolic extract of GE may exert antidepressant-like effects with involvement of AMPA receptor.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.7-13
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• 2014

Objectives : Chronic mild stress (CMS) model is currently recognized as a better animal model of depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the Nelumbo nucifera leave extract using CMS model. Methods : The antidepressant-like effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract was determined by using animal models of depression. Male ICR mice were divided into four groups: saline-treated normal, without CMS; saline-treated stress control; CMS+ Imipramine(20mg/kg); CMS+Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract(200mg/kg). All mice except the normal group exposed an unpredicted sequence of chronic mild stressors for 5 weeks. The behavior of mice were detected by sucrose preference test, forced swim test and tail suspension test. Then concentration of corticosterone in serum was detected by enzyme immunoassay. Results : Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract administration by daily gavage from the 3rd week exhibited an antidepressant-like effect on CMS-induced depression in mice. Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract administration at dose of 200 mg/kg significantly increased the sucrose consumption, and decreased the immobility durations in forced swim test and tail suspension test. Furthermore the corticosterone level decreased than control group. Conclusions : Chronic mild stress can affect mouse behavior and corticosterone level and cause depression. The present experiments not only further confirm the antidepressant-like effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract in the sucrose preference test, forced swimming test and tail suspension test, but also the improving effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract on the depression-like symptoms in the CMS model. Nelumbo nucifera leaves extract has the antagonism on CMS and produce antidepressive effects.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2020

Objectives Ketamine has been reported to have antidepressant effects or psychotomimetic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral effects of ketamine treatment at various sub-anesthetic doses in adolescent and adult naïve mice. Methods In each experiment for adolescent and adult mice, a total of 60 male Institute of Cancer Research mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, which were intraperitoneally treated with physiological saline, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/kg ketamine for consecutive 3 days. At 1 day after last injection, the locomotor and depressive-like behaviors were evaluated in mice, using open field test (OFT) and forced swim test (FST), respectively. Results In case of adolescent mice, ketamine dose was negatively correlated with total distance traveled in the OFT (Spearman's rho = -0.27, p = 0.039). In case of adult mice, we found significant positive correlation between ketamine dose and duration of immobility in the FST (Spearman's rho = 0.45, p < 0.001). Immobility time in the 50 mg/kg ketamine-treated mice was significantly higher compared to the saline-treated mice (Dunnett's post-hoc test, p = 0.012). Conclusions We found that the repeated treatment with ketamine could decrease the locomotor or prolong the duration of immobility in mice as the dose of ketamine increased. Our findings suggest that sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine might induce schizophrenia-like negative symptoms but not antidepressant effects in naïve laboratory animals.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.271-280
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• 2013

Objectives : The development of natural drugs with antidepressant effects is important and needed. This study was performed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the distilled water extract of Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) in a mouse model and to investigate the role of ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors in producing these antidepressant-like effects. Methods : The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to investigate the behavioral anti-depressive-like effects of POL in mice. Additional behavioral experiments with 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione, an AMPA receptor antagonist, were undertaken to determine the involvement of the antidepressant-like properties of POL in AMPA receptor throughput. Results : Oral administration of the POL extract (100 mg/kg) 1 h prior to testing significantly reduced the immobility times in the FST and TST. The antidepressant-like effects of the POL extract were not increased in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-treatment with NBQX significantly attenuated the reduction in immobility time induced by the POL extract in the FST. Conclusions : The distilled water extract of POL has antidepressant-like effects, which may be related to AMPA receptor. Pre-treatment with NBQX significantly attenuates the reduction in immobility time induced by the POL extract in the FST.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.398-403
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• 2019

Dioscorea japonica Thunberg (DJ) has been widely used as a healthy food in Korea for the enhancement of physical stamina. Hence, the present study evaluated the immune-enhancing effect of DJ in forced swim test of mouse model. The immobility time of the group treated with DJ for 7 days was significantly reduced in comparison with that of the control group. After a forced swimming test, the changes in blood biochemical parameters and splenic T lymphocyte populations induced by the administration of DJ were assessed. Serum levels of lactic dehydrogenase, creatine phosphokinase, and aspartate aminotransferase were significantly decreased in DJ-administered group compared to the control group. However, administration of DJ did not affect the splenic T lymphocyte populations. Moreover, DJ significantly increased the production of interferon-g and interleukin-2 compared to the media control in splenocytes. Collectively, it may be concluded that DJ is useful for enhancement of physical and immune function.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

Purpose: Stress, depending on its intensity and duration, results in either adaptive or maladaptive physiological and psychological changes in humans. Also, it was found that stressful experiences increase the signs of behavioral despair in rodents. On the other hand, exercise and melatonin treatment is believed to have many beneficial effects on health. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the anti-depressant effects of physical activity and melatonin against chronic stress-induced depression in rats. Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats(200-250g, 7 weeks of age) were subjected to depression induced by chronic stress. Chronic depression was induced with forced-swim stress (FSS) and repeated change of light-dark cycle for 4 weeks. In the last 2 weeks, some rats were confined in a cage enriched with a running wheel, seesaw and chewed a ball from 19:00 to 07:00 every day. Melatonin was injected intra-peritoneally (I.P), and the rats received intraperitoneal injections of melatonin (15 mg/kg). The Forced Swim Test (FST) was performed to evaluate the immobility behaviors of rats for a 5 min test. Results: It was found that, the immobility time in FST was significantly (p<.05) lower in physical exercise ($M=58.83{\pm}22.73$) and melatonin ($M=67.33{\pm}37.73$) than in depressive rats ($M=145.93{\pm}63.16$) without physical activity. Also, TPH positive cell in dorsal raphe was significantly (p<.05) higher in exercise ($M=457.38{\pm}103.21$) and melatonin ($M=425.38{\pm}111.56$) than in depressive rats ($M=258.25{\pm}89.13$). Conclusion: This study suggests that physical activity and melatonin produces antidepressant-like effect on stress-induced depression in rats. So, physical exercise and melatonin may be a good intervention in depression patients.