Increasing evidence shows depression relevant to oxidative stress and inflammation. Anti-inflammatory strategies or antioxidants have led to the development of new antidepressants. Brazilin is a natural product from the Chinese traditional medicine Caesalpinia sappan L., exerting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-platelet concentration, and anti-cancer effects. While the antidepressant effect of brazilin is largely unknown. In present study, we investigated the effects of brazilin on H2O2-induced oxidative injury in PC12 cells and on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors of chronically mild stressed (CMS)-induced depression mice. It was found that brazilin pre-treatment (both 10 and 20 µM) significantly increased cell viability and decreased cell apoptosis in H2O2-treated PC12 cells. Furthermore, repetitive administration of brazilin to CMS-induced depression mice by intraperitoneal injection (10 mg/kg) made the mice significantly lose their latency of feeding in novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSF), have more the sucrose preference in sucrose preference test (SPT), and more time spent in the central zone without affecting their crossing activity in open field test (OFT). These results suggested that brazilin can play a role in antidepressant and anxiolytic-like behaviors for CMS-induced depression mice probably through inhibiting the oxidative stress. Therefore, brazilin is worth to be further explored for treating depressive and anxiety disorders.
Keywords: anxiety; brazilin; chronic mild stress; depression; oxidative stress.