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β-sitosterol reduces anxiety and synergizes with established anxiolytic drugs in mice.

ABSTRACT: Anxiety and stress-related conditions represent a significant health burden in modern society. Unfortunately, most anxiolytic drugs are prone to side effects, limiting their long-term usage. Here, we employ a bioinformatics screen to identify drugs for repurposing as anxiolytics. Comparison of drug-induced gene-expression profiles with the hippocampal transcriptome of an importin α5 mutant mouse model with reduced anxiety identifies the hypocholesterolemic agent β-sitosterol as a promising candidate. β-sitosterol activity is validated by both intraperitoneal and oral application in mice, revealing it as the only clear anxiolytic from five closely related phytosterols. β-sitosterol injection reduces the effects of restraint stress, contextual fear memory, and c-Fos activation in the prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus. Moreover, synergistic anxiolysis is observed when combining sub-efficacious doses of β-sitosterol with the SSRI fluoxetine. These preclinical findings support further development of β-sitosterol, either as a standalone anxiolytic or in combination with low-dose SSRIs.

SUBMITTER: Panayotis N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8149471 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common endocrine diseases in women of childbearing age, has been found to be accompanied by changes in the gut microbiota. The Bu Shen Yang Xue formula (BSYXF) is a traditional Chinese medicine widely used for the treatment of PCOS. This study aimed to investigate whether the protective effects of β-sitosterol, the main active ingredient of BSYXF, on PCOS was mediated by regulating gut microbiota. Methods: The presence of β-sitosterol in BSYXF was detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The PCOS-like mouse model was induced by dehydroepiandrosterone. The fecal supernatant of β-sitosterol-treated mice was prepared for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Body weight and wet weight of the uterus and ovary of the mice were recorded for organ index calculation. Hematoxylin and eosin stain was used to assess the endometrial morphology and microenvironment changes. Expression of endometrial receptivity markers cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Integrin ανβ3, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and homeobox A10 (HOXA10) in the endometrium were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to detect the expression of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone (P), and testosterone (T) in the serum. The diversity of gut microbiota was examined by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Results: With the treatment of β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol-FMT, the uterine index of PCOS-like mice increased, the ovarian index decreased, levels of COX-2, LH and T decreased, and levels of Integrin ανβ3, LIF, HOXA10, FSH, and P increased. Under β-sitosterol treatment, the structure of the gut microbiota in PCOS-like mice was also changed. Conclusion: β-sitosterol regulates the endometrial receptivity of PCOS and harmonizes the sex hormone balance, which may be related to the changes in the structure and composition of gut microbiota, thus affecting the pathological process of PCOS.

Project description:BackgroundAnxiety and depression are among the most frequently-observed psychiatric symptoms associated with nicotine (NC). In addition to the similarity to other addictive drugs, these NC-induced symptoms are characteristic in that the opposite behavioral effects, i.e. anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, which may reinforce the habitual use of NC, have also been reported. In the present study, the time course of anxiety- and depression-related behavioral alterations was examined in mice. Furthermore, based on the reported similarity in the mechanisms responsible for NC-induced anxiety- and depression-related symptoms, as well as the contribution of brain cannabinoid (CB) receptors to these behavioral symptoms, the effects of anxiolytics and CB receptor ligands (CBs) against these behavioral symptoms were investigated.ResultsRepeated subcutaneous NC treatments (0.3 mg/kg, 4 days), compared with a single treatment (0.5 mg/kg), caused both prolonged anxiogenic effects in the elevated plus-maze test, and prolonged depressive effects in the forced swimming test, even at 120 min time point after the last NC treatment. A transient anxiolytic preference for open arms was also observed in the elevated plus-maze test. Among the anxiolytics and CBs, the serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) antagonist WAY 100135 and the endogenous mixed CB agonist/antagonist virodhamine (VD), when administered intraperitoneally before each NC treatment, provided the strongest antagonistic effects against the anxiety-related symptoms. However, against the depression-related symptoms, only VD provided significant antagonistic effects in both single and repeated treatment groups.ConclusionThe present results support the presence of a chronological overlap of NC-induced anxiety- and depression-related behavioral symptoms, and the contribution of brain CB receptors to these behavioral symptoms. The repeated NC-induced prolongation of these behavioral symptoms and the early transient anxiolytic behavioral alterations support an increased possibility of the habitual use of NC. Furthermore, based on the antagonistic effects of VD, one can predict that the characteristic effects on brain CB receptors as a mixed CB agonist/antagonist contributed to its therapeutic effects as both an anxiolytic and an antidepressant.

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β-sitosterol reduces anxiety and synergizes with established anxiolytic drugs in mice.

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