Botanical Drug Puerarin Ameliorates Liposaccharide-Induced Depressive Behaviors in Mice via Inhibiting RagA/mTOR/p70S6K Pathways

Figure 5

Puerarin attenuated the expression of inflammatory cytokines against LPS stimulation. (a) Body weight of experimental mice. The body weight of the mice in the indicated groups was measured before and after LPS treatment. (b) qRT-PCR quantification of representative inflammatory cytokines. The frontal cortex tissues were collected from 4 groups of mice (i.e., control, LPS, and LPS+puerarin (60 mg/kg), puerarin (60 mg/kg), ) and analysed by qPCR analysis. The results were shown as (). ; ; . (c) qRT-PCR quantification of RagA, IL-6, and IL-1. Highly differentiated PC12 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1 vector or pcDNA3.1-RagA plasmid for 24 h. The cells were collected for qPCR analysis. The data were shown as (). . (d) The diagram illustrating the potential mechanism. Puerarin targeted RagA and thereby inhibited the mTOR/p70S6K pathway and suppressed the mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6 and IL-1β) towards the amelioration of depressive behaviors.

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