Therapeutic potential of Gastrodia elata Blume for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Several studies have demonstrated that the Chinese herb Gastrodia elata Blume can protect against amyloid beta-peptide (Aβ)-induced cell death. To investigate the possible therapeutic effects of Gastrodia elata Blume on Alzheimer's disease, we established a rat model of Alzheimer's disease by injecting Aβ25-35 into bilateral hippocampi. These rats were intragastrically administered 500 or 1 000 mg/kg Gastrodia elata Blume per day for 52 consecutive days.

Effects of chronic social defeat stress on behavior and choline acetyltransferase, 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein, and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein in adult mice.

Rationale: Social defeat stress induces physiological and behavioral symptoms, including anxiety, anhedonia, immune deficits, and altered expression of key brain genes.

Objectives: The present study investigated the effects of social defeat stress on the behaviors and expressions of Chat, Grp78, and chop in the brains of adult mice.

Methods: Adult mice were divided into susceptible and unsusceptible groups after 10 days of social defeat stress.

Effects of chronic social defeat stress on behaviour, endoplasmic reticulum proteins and choline acetyltransferase in adolescent mice.

The present study investigated the effects of social defeat stress on the behaviours and expressions of 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (Grp78), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP) and choline acetyltransferase (Chat) in the brains of adolescent mice. Adolescent male C57BL/6J mice were divided into two groups (susceptible and unsusceptible) after 10 d social defeat stress. In expt 1, behavioural tests were conducted and brains were processed for Western blotting on day 21 after stress.

Effects of chronic mild stress in female bax inhibitor-1-gene knockout mice.

Objective: The anti-apoptotic protein Bax inhibitor-1 (BI-1) is a regulator of apoptosis linked to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and BI-1(-/-) mice exhibit increased sensitivity to tissue damage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of BI-1 in the pathogenesis of chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depression-like behaviors in BI-1(-/-) mice.

Methods: We delivered CMS for 2 or 6 weeks in BI-1-knockout and wild-type mice.