Guhanyangshengjing Improves Postpartum Depression Like Behavior In Rats By Down Regulating Hippocampal Autophagy

[Background and Objective]Postpartum Depression(PPD)is the most common mental disease in puerperal women,and it is also an important type of depression.The main clinical symptoms are depression,low self-evaluation,negative life attitude,and even suicidal behavior.At present,the pathogenesis of PPD has not been fully clarified,and considering the incomplete growth and development of infants during lactation,the application of traditional western antidepressants in clinical practice is somewhat limited.Guhan Yangshengjing is a kind of Chinese patent medicine which is mainly protected in China.Its main active components,ginsenoside and icariin,play an important role in regulating and protecting depression.These active ingredients have also been reported to regulate autophagy levels in multiple systems,sites and diseases of the organism.Therefore,we established PPD animal model by simulating hormone withdrawal after pregnancy,and then gavage with Guhan Yangshengjing oral liquid to explore whether Guhan Yangshengjing can improve postpartum depression like behavior in rats,and whether its mechanism is related to the regulation of hippocampal autophagy level.[Methods]Seventy-five female SD rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,Guhan Yangshengjing low dose group(0.8 g/kg),Guhan Yangshengjing medium dose group(1.6 g/kg)and Guhan Yangshengjing high dose group(3.2 g/kg),with 15 rats in each group.After surgical removal of both ovaries in the model group and the Guhan Yangshengjing intervention group,the PPD animal model was established by simulating hormone withdrawal after pregnancy.On the basis of successful modeling,the dose group was continuously treated with Guhan Yangshengjing by gavage for 2 weeks,while the control group and the model group were treated with the same dose of saline by gavage for 2weeks.At the end of the intervention,the treatment effect was assessed using the forced swimming test(FST)behavioral method.Finally,Western Blot was used to detect the expression of Beclin1,LC3 and P62 proteins in the hippocampal tissue of rats.[Results]1.In the forced swimming test,the immobility time of the model group was significantly longer than that of the control group;Compared with the model group,the immobility time of rats in low,medium and high Guhan Yangshengjing group was significantly shorter;There was no significant difference in immobility time between each dose group of Guhan Yangshengjing.2.WB results showed that compared with the control group,the expressions of LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 in the hippocampus of the model group were significantly increased and the expression of p62 was significantly decreased;Compared with the model group,the expression of Beclin1 in the hippocampus of rats in the low,medium and high Guhan Yangshengjing group decreased significantly,and the expression of p62 increased significantly;Compared with the model group,the expression of LC3-Ⅱ in the hippocampus of rats in the medium and high Guhan Yangshengjing group decreased significantly.There was no significant difference in the expression of LC3-Ⅱ,Beclin1 and p62 in rat hippocampus between each dose group of Guhan Yangshengjing.[Conclusion]Guhan Yangshengjing can improve the depression like behavior of PPD model rats,and its mechanism may be related to down regulating the level of hippocampal autophagy.