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Highlights • Arctigenin showed antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects in acute stress models. • Arctigenin prevented chronic mild stress-induced depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors. • Chronic treatment of arctigenin increased serum levels of angiogenin, VEGF, and thrombopoietin. Abstract Depression is the root of various diseases. It is one of the most debilitating conditions globally. Antidepressant drugs are usually the first-line of depression treatment. Arctigenin (ARC), one of active ingredient of Arctium lappa L , has been found to exert neuroprotective, anti-decrepitude, and anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of ARC using acute and chronic mild stress (CMS) mice model. ICR mice model received acute stress or chronic mild stress assessed by open field test (OFT), novelty suppressed feeding (NSF), sucrose preference test (SPT), forced-swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). After the final test, blood was collected to detect the serum levels of angiogenin (ANG), thrombopoietin (TPO), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The behavioral results showed that repeated ARC (10, 30 mg/kg) administration significantly relieved the antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects. And repeated ARC administration at the dose of 10 and 30 mg/kg could significantly block depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors caused by CMS. Finally, ELISA results showed that ARC administration increased the serum levels of angiogenin (ANG), thrombopoietin (TPO), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Results showed that chronic ARC administration produces antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects, which provides direct evidence for the first time that ARC may be a novel strategy for the treatment of depression and even stress-related disorders. The present data supports further exploration for developing ARC administration as a novel therapeutic strategy for depression and even stress-related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNA (circRNA) plays an important role in diverse stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety and cognitive disorders. Here, using a circRNA microarray, we found that circSYNDIG1, an unreported circRNA, was significantly downregulated in the hippocampus of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice and further validated this finding in corticosterone (CORT) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mice by qRT-PCR, and it was negatively correlated with depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors of these three stressed mice. Furthermore, the interaction of miR-344–5p and circSYNDIG1 was confirmed by in situ hybridization (FISH) assay in hippocampus and dual luciferase reporter assay in 293 T cells. And miR-344–5p mimics could simulate the dendritic spine density reduction, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors and memory impairment induced by CUMS. Overexpression of circSYNDIG1 in hippocampus significantly ameliorated these abnormal changes induced by CUMS or miR-344–5p. It indicated that circSYNDIG1 functions as an miR-344–5p sponge to inhibit miR-344–5p impact, resulting in the increase of dendritic spine density and the subsequent amelioration of the abnormal behaviors. Therefore, the downregulation of circSYNDIG1 in hippocampus participates in CUMS-induced depressive and anxiety-like behavior of mice though miR-344–5p. These findings represent the first evidence for the involvement of circSYNDIG1 and its coupling mechanism in depression and anxiety, suggesting that circSYNDIG1 and miR-344–5p might be new targets for the treatment of stress-related disorder. • CUMS induces downregulation of hippocampal circSYNDIG1 in mice. • miR-344–5p mimics dendritic spine density decline and behavioral abnormalities induced by CUMS. • CircSYNDIG1 attenuates the abnormal behaviors by binding miR-344–5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Fe-based metal organic frameworks (MIL-100(Fe)) loaded with CoS 2 /TiO 2 on layered double hydroxide (LDH) was successfully prepared by hydrothermal and solution casting methods, which was utilized as novel catalyst for bioelectricity generation and cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in microbial fuel cell (MFC). Electrochemical tests showed good oxygen reduction activity. The maximum power density of CoS 2 /TiO 2 /MIL-100(Fe)@NiFe-LDH-MFC was 75.272 mW/m2, which was 1.17 times higher than that of CoS 2 /TiO 2 @NiFe-LDH-MFC (64.082 mW/m2) and 1.2 times higher than that of CoS 2 /TiO 2 @MIL-100(Fe)-MFC (62.658 mW/m2), 2.03 times that of CoS 2 /TiO 2 -MFC (36.992 mW/m2), and 3 times that of TiO 2 -MFC (25.088 mW/m2). CoS 2 /TiO 2 /MIL-100(Fe)@NiFe-LDH-MFC possessed a maximum output voltage of 194 mV and a stabilization time of 220 h CoS 2 /TiO 2 /MIL-100(Fe)@NiFe-LDH possessed potential applications as a kind of potential cathode catalyst to further improve the electrochemical performance of fuel cells. [Display omitted] • CoS 2 /TiO 2 /MIL-100(Fe)@NiFe-LDH was prepared by simple hydrothermal method. • Maximum power density of CoS 2 /TiO 2 /MIL-100(Fe)@NiFe-LDH-MFC was 75.272 mW/m2. • Modification of TiO 2 with CoS2 improved conductivity and MIL-100(Fe) enhanced stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH was successfully prepared by distributed feeding method. • TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH was stable, conductivity and multiple reaction sites. • Maximum power density of TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH-MFC was 409.6 mW/m2. • The combined action of LDH, dual MOFs and TiO 2 enhanced the MFC performance. In this study, a three-step distributed feeding method was used to prepare TiO 2 -attached dual CoZn-metal organic frameworks growing on ZnAl-layered double hydroxide (TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH) as cathode catalyst of microbial fuel cell (MFC). The composite material was a composite core–shell structure constructed by multi-layer coating with sheet-like ZnAl-LDH as the base, dual MOFs as the magnetic core and TiO 2 as the rough surface. The composite material had crystal planes (0 0 9), (1 1 0), (1 0 1) interface. The rough surface, core–shell core and polyhedral structure of TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH were observed. The complete distribution of Ti, Zn, Al, and Co in the material was observed and offered active sites. The contents of Ti (15.97 %), Al (5.53 %), Na (5.04 %), N (3.52%), Zn (1.47 %) were found out. TiO 2 @ZIF-67/ZIF-8@ZnAl-LDH was excellent in electrochemical activity and the maximum power density was 409.6 mW/m2, the stable continuous output voltage was 538.4 mV for 8 d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by an enhancement of traumatic memory. Intervention strategies based on the different stages of memory have been shown to be effective in the prevention and control of PTSD. The endogenous gaseous molecule, sulfur dioxide (SO 2), has been reported to significantly exert neuromodulatory effects; however, its regulation of learning and memory remains unestablished. This study aimed to investigate the effects of exogenous SO 2 derivatives administration on the formation, consolidation, reconsolidation, retention, and expression of contextual fear memory. Behavioral results showed that both intraperitoneal injection (50 mg/kg, ip) and hippocampal infusion (5 μg/side) of SO 2 derivatives (a mixture of sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite, Na 2 SO 3 /NaHSO 3 , 3:1 M/M) significantly impaired consolidation but had no effect on reconsolidation and retention of contextual fear memory. These findings suggest that the attenuating effects of SO 2 on the consolidation of fear memory involves, at least partially, the region of the hippocampus. The findings of this study provide direct evidence for the development of new strategies for PTSD prevention and treatment involving the use of gaseous SO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Hippocampal neurogenesis is known to be related to depressive symptoms. Increasing evidence indicates that Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates multiple aspects of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Baicalin is a major flavonoid compound with multiple pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective effects. The current study aimed to explore the antidepressant effects of baicalin and its possible molecular mechanisms affecting hippocampal neurogenesis via the regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. A chronic mild unpredictable stress (CUMS) model of depression was used in the study. The CUMS-induced mice were treated with baicalin (50 and 100 mg/kg) for 21 days, orally, and the fluoxetine was used as positive control drug. The results indicated that baicalin alleviated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviour, and improved the nerve cells' survival of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) in CUMS-induced depression of model mice and increased Ki-67- and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells to restore CUMS-induced suppression of hippocampal neurogenesis. The related proteins in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which declined in the CUMS-induced depression model of mice, were upregulated after baicalin treatment, including Wingless3a (Wnt3a), dishevelled2 (DVL2), and β-catenin. Further study found that the phosphorylation rate of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and β-catenin nuclear translocation increased, as the levels of the β-catenin target genes cyclinD1, c-myc, NeuroD1, and Ngn2 upregulated after baicalin treatment. In conclusion, these findings suggest that baicalin may promote hippocampal neurogenesis, thereby exerting the antidepressant effect via regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 3,3- Dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) exposure reduced social dominance of adult mice. • DMB exposure had no effects on sexual preference of adult mice. • DMB exposure had no effects on anxiety- and depression-like behaviors of adult mice. • DMB exposure had no effects on memory formation of adult mice. The influence of gut microbiota on brain function and brain disorders has been attracted more and more attention. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), an indirect metabolite of gut microbiota, has been linked to aging, cognitive impairment, and other brain disorders. However, the relationship between TMAO and social behaviors are still poorly understood. Adult male mice were exposed to drinking water containing 3,3- Dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB), an indirect inhibitors of TMAO, for 21 continuous days followed by a series of behavioral tests to detect the effect of DMB exposure on social behaviors, mainly including social dominance test (SDT), bedding preference test (BP), sexual preference test (SP), social interaction test (SI), open field test (OFT), tail suspension test (TST), forced swim test (FST), novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF), and novel object recognition (NOR) task. In the SDT, compared with the control group, the mice treated with DMB (both 0.2% and 1.0%), both high-ranked and low-ranked mice, showed a reduction in the number of victories. There is no statistical difference on sexual preference, anxiety, depression-like behavior phenotype, and memory formation. In conclusion, the present findings provide direct evidence, for the first time, that repeated DMB exposure produces significant effects on social dominance of adult mice, without any effects on sexual preference, anxiety, depression-like behavior phenotype or memory formation, highlighting the regulatory effects of gut-brain interaction on social behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur dioxide (SO 2) can be endogenously generated from sulfur-containing amino acids in animals and humans. Increasing evidence shows that endogenous SO 2 may act as a gaseous molecule to participate in many physiological and pathological processes. However, the role of SO 2 and its derivatives in the central nervous system remains poorly understood. The present study explored the protective effects of exogenous SO 2 derivatives (Na 2 SO 3 :NaHSO 3 , 3:1 M/M) on cellular injury in vitro by using the cell proliferation assay (MTS), cell counting kit 8 assay (CCK-8), and cyto-flow assay in the corticosterone (CORT)-induced PC12 cell injury model. We also examined the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of SO 2 derivatives on the chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depression mouse model by using the open field test, novelty suppressed feeding test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, and sucrose preference test. In the MTS and CCK-8 assays, we found that preexposure of SO 2 derivatives significantly blocked CORT-induced decrease of cellular survival without causing any negative effects. Results from the cyto-flow assay indicated that treatment with SO 2 derivatives could reverse CORT-induced early and late apoptosis of PC12 cells. Systemic treatment with SO 2 derivatives produced markedly antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activities in mice under normal condition and rapidly reversed CMS-induced depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors. In conclusion, these findings indicate that exogenous SO 2 derivatives show protective properties against the detrimental effects of stress and exert antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like actions. The present study suggests that exogenous SO 2 derivatives are potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and other stress-related diseases. • SO 2 derivatives exposure exerts protective effects on CORT-induced cellular injuries. • SO 2 derivatives exposure attenuates CORT-induced cell apoptosis. • Exogenous SO 2 derivatives treatment produces antidepressant-like effects in mice. • Exogenous SO 2 derivatives treatment produces anxiolytic-like effects in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]