Effect of Berberine on Depression- and Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Activation of the Noradrenergic System Induced by Development of Morphine Dependence in Rats

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether berberine (BER) administration could attenuate depression-and anxiety-like behaviors and increase corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression following chronic morphine withdrawal in rats. Male rats were exposed to chronic, intermittent, escalating morphine (10∼ 50 mg/kg) for 10 days. After the last morphine injection, depression-and anxiety-like beahvior associated with morphine discontinuation persisted for at least three days during withdrawal without any change in ambulatory activity. Daily BER administration significantly decreased immobility in the forced swimming test and increased open-arm exploration in the elevated plus maze test. BER administration also significantly blocked the increase in hypothalamic CRF expression and TH expression in the locus coeruleus (LC) and the decrease in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that BER administration significantly reduced morphine withdrawal-associated behaviors following discontinuation of repeated morphine administration in rats, possibly through modulation of hypothalamic CRF and the central noradrenergic system. BER may be a useful agent for treating or alleviating complex withdrawal symptoms and preventing morphine use relapses.

Berberine: Pathways to protect neurons

“…Song et al, ). Furthermore, BBR could inhibit the rewarding effects of abuse of cocaine and morphine through down‐regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase expression and some other mechanisms (B. Lee et al, ; B. Lee, Sur, Yeom, et al, ).…”

Berberis Vulgaris and Berberine: An Update Review

“…In our study, administration of aqueous extract of barberry (200 mg/kg) inhibited the acquisition and reinstatement of morphine‐induced conditioned place preference (Imenshahidi et al ., ). Berberine also significantly reduces morphine withdrawal behaviors following discontinuation of repeated morphine administration in rats, possibly through decreasing hippocampal brain‐derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression and blocking the increase in hypothalamic CRF expression and TH expression in the locus coeruleus (Lee et al ., ).…”

Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Mediates Acupunctural Effects on Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis During Ethanol Withdrawal

“…Various stressors, including withdrawal from drugs of abuse, elevate the TH protein and mRNA expressions in both the somatic and terminal loci within a NEergic neuron. For example, morphine withdrawal results in an increase in TH functioning in both the locus coeruleus (LC) and PVN, which contributes to the adverse effects of withdrawal [17,18]. Upregulation of norepinephrinergic (NEergic) functioning in the PVN can be caused by increased TH protein expression Figure 3 Acupuncture at the ST36 but not at the nonacupoint inhibited EW-induced increased TH phosphorylation rates in the PVN.…”