Study of changes in the concentration of corticotropin-releasing hormone and corticosterone in rats in a state of depressive conditions under plant extract stress

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by sadness, loss of interest and pleasure, decreased ability to experience joy, feelings of guilt or low self-esteem, as well as sleep and appetite disturbances and increased fatigue. Despite the accumulated clinical experience, the task of improving depression treatment methods remains significant. Experimental studies have demonstrated the potential antidepressant properties of aqueous extracts of white mulberry and taraxacum officinale. The aim of our study was to investigate changes in the concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone and corticosterone in depressed rats exposed to extracts of white mulberry, taraxacum officinale, a 1:1 mixture of the two, and St. John's wort extract. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on 180 male Wistar rats, using a "social" stress model to simulate depression. All animals were divided equally into six groups and, according to group assignment, received intragastrically distilled water, aqueous extracts of white mulberry, common dandelion, a 1:1 mixture of both, and 2 ml of St. John's wort extract for 20 days prior to depression modeling. The rats' neuroendocrine status was assessed by determining serum corticotropin-releasing hormone and corticosterone concentrations using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on day 21 of the experiment. Results. Stress-induced depression has been shown to be accompanied by hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, caused by impaired feedback inhibitory effects of endogenous glucocorticoids due to glucocorticoid receptor dysfunction. This, in turn, contributes to the development of a complex of underlying reactions, including decreased levels of neurotrophic factors and the development of neurogenic inflammation. Conclusion. Treatment with plant extracts reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity by inhibiting corticotropin-releasing hormone and corticosterone levels in stress-induced depression. A 1:1 mixture of aqueous extracts of white mulberry and dandelion demonstrated the most pronounced positive effect. 

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