summary: Researchers found that chronic stress induces depression-like behavior in fruit flies, affecting motivation and activity.
This study found that preventive use of Ayurvedic medicinal plants, particularly Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Centella asiatica, can improve flies’ resilience to chronic stress.
Interestingly, the research team identified chlorogenic acid, found in other plants such as Centella asiatica and coffee beans, to be an important anti-stress substance.
This study highlights the potential of traditional medicinal plants in the treatment of stress-related disorders and sheds light on the biological mechanisms of stress resilience.
Important facts:
- Chronic stress caused depression-like behavior in fruit flies, but preventive treatment with Ayurvedic plants improved their resilience.
- The study identified chlorogenic acid in Centella asiatica as an effective anti-stress compound and found that it also targets the fly protein phosphatase calcineurin.
- This research combines Ayurveda and modern neuroscience to provide insight into the biological mechanisms of stress and potential natural remedies.
sauce: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Chronic exposure to stress, even in Drosophila, can lead to the development of disorders like depression, which manifests as a lack of motivation. Drosophila melanogaster. As a result, the insects displayed less courtship behavior, were less interested in stopping to take in sweet nutrients, and were less willing to climb through gaps in the experimental setup.
However, researchers at Germany’s Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), in collaboration with the BENFRA Plant Nutrition Supplement Research Center in Portland, Oregon, have observed that traditional medicinal plants can alleviate some of the associated symptoms. can be alleviated to some extent.
Researchers have shown that two plants used in Ayurvedic medicine, when used prophylactically in flies, can improve their resilience to chronic stress. Despite the stress condition, they no longer exhibited behaviors consistent with depression.
The paper on the study of two plant materials is nutrients.
Plants containing biologically active components can help organisms cope with stress
The JGU research group led by Professor Roland Strauss, Drosophila melanogaster A model for analyzing the underlying mechanisms involved in resilience to stress and the effects of stress on the nervous system.
“Chronic stress can also induce depression-like states in fruit flies, and these are manifested as behavioral changes,” Strauss explained. In this latest research situation, his group collaborated with his BENFRA Botanical Dietary Supplement Research Center in the United States. The center researches plants that enhance neurological and functional resilience to aging.
The Mainz-based researchers are focusing on testing extracts of plants and natural substances that are known to be used in traditional Asian medicine and are also sold as dietary supplements.
The idea is that certain plants contain above-average amounts of active ingredients or substances that themselves exhibit particularly high levels of biological activity. These so-called adaptogens help our bodies adapt to increased physical and mental stress.
Helen Holvoet, a doctoral candidate in Professor Strauss’ team and lead author of the two papers, said: “The advantage over traditional medicines is that medicinal plants contain a variety of plant active substances that act on different parts of the stress axis. It probably includes a blend.”
“Because they have a synergistic effect against stress, they are less likely to cause undesirable effects than when the substances themselves are administered alone in their pure form.”
Another potential benefit is that nutraceuticals can be used as complementary medicines in combination with drug therapy.
In a collaborative project, Strauss’ team tested an approach to stress treatment using two Ayurvedic medicinal plants. Withania somnifera (also known as ashwagandha or sleep berry) and Centella asiatica (Indian pennywort).
The research partners were able to demonstrate that when administered prophylactically, both plants increase resilience to chronic stress, preventing flies exposed to stress from falling into a depression-like state in the first place.
Chlorogenic acid identified as a substance relevant to the treatment of stress
“in the case of Withania somniferaDr. Burkhard Polk, who participated in the experiment, found that the way the roots were prepared made the difference, as aqueous extracts had better preventive effects than alcoholic extracts. ” he explained.
This surprising result shows how important it is to pay attention to the manufacturing methods used in nutritional supplements.
The team from Mainz and our collaboration partners from Portland obtained even more impressive results when they conducted the following experiment. Centella asiatica. They were actually able to identify a specific ingredient, chlorogenic acid, that acts as a prophylactic, anti-stress substance.
Chlorogenic acid is found in many plants, with particularly high concentrations found in coffee beans, for example. It is also found in traditional medicinal herbs such as valerian (Valerian).Valeriana officinalis) and St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), has long been known to have the potential to reduce stress.
Analysis of such medicinal substances can not only provide general information about their effects on neural stress, but also provide a starting point for fundamental resilience research.
“In this case, we were able to precisely identify the target protein associated with chlorogenic acid. Drosophilathe protein phosphatase calcineurin,” Professor Roland Strauss explained additional research findings.
In humans, calcineurin is present in many body organs, with very high concentrations in the nervous system. There it interacts with many other proteins and mediates many signaling pathways.
About this psychopharmacology and depression research news
author: Kathryn Vogt
sauce: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
contact: Katherine Vogt – Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Open access.
“Chlorogenic acid, acting through calcineurin, is the main compound in Centella asiatica extract that mediates resilience to chronic stress in Drosophila melanogaster” (Roland Strauss et al.) nutrients
abstract
Chlorogenic acid, acting through calcineurin, is a key compound in Centella asiatica extract that mediates resilience to chronic stress in Drosophila melanogaster
Common symptoms of depressive disorders include anhedonia, sleep disturbances, and decreased physical activity.
Medications used to treat depression primarily aim to increase serotonin signaling, but they can have unwanted side effects. Depression is also treated in traditional medicine using plants such as: Centella asiatica (CA) This has been found to be well tolerated.
However, few controlled studies have addressed the protective role of CA in depression, and no active compounds or mechanisms mediating this function have been identified.
To address this issue I used the following: Drosophila melanogaster To investigate whether CA can improve symptoms associated with depression, such as anhedonia and reduced climbing activity.
We found that aqueous extracts of CA conferred resilience against stress-induced phenotypes and that this effect was mainly due to monocaffeoylquinic acid contained in CA.
Furthermore, we describe that the protective function of CA is due to the synergism between chlorogenic acid and one of its isomers, which is also present in CA. However, increasing the concentration of chlorogenic acid can overcome the requirement for the second isomer.
Finally, we discovered that chlorogenic acid acts through calcineurin, a multifunctional phosphatase that can modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity, and is also involved in neuronal maintenance.
