The research group of Li Xiaobo, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University published the latest research results on the antidepressant effect of Dendrobium officinale

Recently, the internationally renowned journal International Journal of Biological Macromolecules published online the latest research results of Professor Li Xiaobo's research group from Shanghai Jiaotong University entitled "Alcohol–soluble polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale flowers as an antidepressant by regulating the gut–brain axi.

With the rapid development of social modernization, fast-paced and high-pressure work and life make some people appear "depresse.

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo) is a plant of the genus Dendrobium in the Orchidaceae fami.

Figure 1 Dendrobium officinale flowering stage (left) and sun-dried Dendrobium officinale flower (right)

In order to verify the antidepressant activity of Dendrobium officinale and reveal its active substances and mechanism of action, Li Xiaobo's team first used corticosterone-induced PC12 cell damage, behavioral despair mice, and chronic unpredictable mild stimulation (CUMS)-induced depression rat models to comprehensively evaluate Dendrobium officina.

Figure 2 The effect of ASP on depression-like behavior in CUMS rats

(SPT: sucrose preference test; OFT: open field test; FST: forced swim test)

Structural characterization proves that the weight-average molecular weight of the active homogeneous polysaccharide ASP is 099×104 Da, which is mainly composed of rhamnose, arabinose, fucose, mannose, and glucose (the molar ratio is 39:27:35:92:175 ); Using the CUMS rat model, combined with microbiome and other technologies, it was confirmed that the active homogeneous polysaccharide ASP achieves antidepressant effect by regulating the "gut-brain" axis, that is, regulating the structure of the intestinal microbes (including bacteria and fungi) in depression-like rats and its metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, e.

Figure 3 The mechanism of ASP exerting antidepressant effect by regulating the gut-brain axis

The corresponding author of the paper is Professor Li Xiaobo from the School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi.

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