Ameliorative Effect of Acanathopanax senticosus Polysaccharides on Depressive Behavior in Rats by Regulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway

To explore the ameliorative effect of Acanathopanax senticosus polysaccharides (ASPs) on depressive behavior and possible mechanism, Wistar rats were divided into normal control group, model control group, fluoxetine hydrochloride group (2.1 mg/kg) and low-dose and high-dose ASPs groups (60 and 120 mg/kg, n=10). The depression model was established by solitary confinement and chronic mild unknown stress stimulation for 28 d, and the rats were given intragastric administration on the first day of modeling. Depressive behaviors were evaluated by open box experiment, sugar water preference experiment and forced swimming experiment. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to detect hippocampal histopathology, and the indexes changes of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3 kinases (p-PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) in each group were compared. The results proved that compared with normal control group, the number of horizontal activities and sugar water preference of model control group were significantly decreased (P