| IntroductionDepression is one of the normal motional diseases. Its inception rate is increasing rapidly. The depression inception rate of the female is two times of that of the male. Depression not only affects the individual, but also affects the stable of his/her family and the society for its higher suicide trend. The pathogenesis of depression is still not clear, but the abnormal functions of the limbic system may play an important role.The limbic system has the double actions of regulating emotion and visceral functions. Abnormal emotion can influence visceral function through limbic system, and visceral dysfunctions can affect emotion. Hippocampal formation is the main structure of the limbic system, made up of hippocampus and dentate gyrus mainly. In depression hippocampal neurons are damaged and proliferation of neural stem cells is inhibited, which might be caused by accentuation of hypothalamus - adenohypophysis -adrenal gland axis, glutmate accumulation, excessive NO, less 5-HT and growth factors, and also estrogen decreases is involved to the female. Therefore, protecting hippocampal neurons and promoting proliferation of neural stem cells in dentate gyrus are an important method.Clinic anti-depression drugs usually act on one factor causing depression, the effects were confirmed, but drug resistance is easily produced and side effects are also obvious. So anti-depression with natural medicine has been developing. The theories of treating depression with Chinese medicine were scattered in classic books and records of Chinese medicine, treating depression according to those have achieved positive effect. But there are no identified records of depression in classic Chinese medicine books, the disagreement of pattern of syndrome according to Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine using dispersedly are appearing, which is not benefit to the guiding clinic prescription and the research of new anti-depression Chinese medicine. So the unification of patterns of syndrome of Chinese medicine is the first question. Depression is a chronic disease, and the syndromes of different patients may not be the same, causing it impossible to identify the pattern of syndrome of Chinese medicine according some patients. Therefore, other method must be found.The base of emotion in Chinese medicine is pneuma, Qi and blood, which are the bridge connecting emotion and five vicera. Overactivity of five expressions of emotions can damage pneuma, Qi and blood, further affect the functions of five vicera, while the abnormal functions of five vicera will leading to the production of pneuma, Qi and blood insufficiently, causing emotion abnormal. Generally, the cause of depression in Chinese medicine is excessive contemplation, which will influence the action of spleen dominating anxiety, leading the dys-splenism. Dys-splenism will cause decreasing of Qi and blood production, leading to poor nutrition of heart-sprit. And at the same, body fluid will not be catharsis, causing phlegmatic hygrosis production in the body and the upper orifices are deceived. So the pathogenesis of depression is: excessive contemplation damage dys-splenism, and in one side, Qi and blood production are decreased, so heart-spirit supply poor, and in the other side, phlegmatic hygrosis are produced causing upper orifices deceived. So the invigorating the spleen and supplying the heart, dissipating phlegm for resuscitation are the therapeutical principle. Dingzhixiaowan composed of genseing, hoelen, polygalae and acori graminei, has the functions of invigorating the spleen and supplying the heart, dissipating phlegm for resuscitation, and can be used to treat depression. Dingzhixiaowan can reinforce the activity of learning and memory related with hippocampus, and learning memory are related with new neuron production. So dingzhixiaowan might affect the proliferation of neural stem cells in dentate gyrus. Therefore this work is carried out to observe the anti-depression action of dingzhixiaowan and the mechanism is approached.Methods(1)40 common female Wistar rats we... |
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