Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33854318›Full record

ArticleNeuropsychiatric disease and treatment2021

Traditional Chinese Formula Xiaoyaosan Alleviates Depressive-Like Behavior in CUMS Mice by Regulating PEBP1-GPX4-Mediated Ferroptosis in the Hippocampus.

Haiyan Jiao, Hongjun Yang, Zhiyi Yan, Jianbei Chen, Mengbai Xu, Youming Jiang, Yueyun Liu, Zhe Xue, Qingyu Ma, Xiaojuan Li and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
9.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

52 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Review
  5. Ferroptosis in depression: mechanisms, association, and therapeutic strategies.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026
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  16. Ferroptosis: a new target for depression prevention and treatment.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2025
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  19. Yi-Nao-Jie-Yu Prescription Relieves Post-Stroke Depression by Mitigating Ferroptosis in Hippocampal Neurons Via Activating the Nrf2/GPX4/SLC7A11 Pathway.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Haiyan JiaoSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0003-0852-9761
Hongjun YangSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Zhiyi YanSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-9828-7705
Jianbei ChenSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Mengbai XuSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Youming JiangSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Yueyun LiuSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Zhe XueSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Qingyu MaFormula-Pattern Research center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-4208-5634
Xiaojuan LiFormula-Pattern Research center, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Jiaxu ChenSchool of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China.
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine · CNJinan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAt present, the pathogenesis of depression is not fully understood, and nearly half of depression patients experience no obvious effects during treatment. This study aimed to establish a depression mouse model to explore the possible role of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of depression, and observe the effects of Xiaoyaosan on PEBP1-GPX4-mediated ferroptosis in the hippocampus.

methodsForty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a control group, CUMS group, Xiaoyaosan group and fluoxetine group, and the model was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for a successive 6 weeks. The medication procedure was performed from the 4th to the 6th week of modeling. The behavioral evaluations were measured to evaluate depressive-like behaviors. The expressions of GPX4, FTH1, ACSL4 and COX2 were detected as ferroptosis-related indicators. Then, the total iron and ferrous content in the hippocampus were measured. The levels of PEBP1 and ERK1/2 were observed, and the expressions of GFAP and IBA1 were also detected to measure the functions of astrocytes and microglia in the hippocampus.

resultsEight herbs of Xiaoyaosan had 133 active ingredients which could regulate the 43 ferroptosis-related genes in depression. After 6 weeks of modeling, the data showed that mice in the CUMS group had obvious depressive-like behaviors, and medication with Xiaoyaosan or fluoxetine could significantly improve the behavioral changes. The expressions of GPX4, FTH1, ACSL4, COX2, PEBP1, ERK1/2, GFAP and IBA1 changed in the CUMS group mice, while the total iron and ferrous content also changed. Xiaoyaosan and fluoxetine had obvious curative effects that could significantly alleviate the above changes in the hippocampus.

conclusionOur results revealed that the activation of ferroptosis might exist in the hippocampi of CUMS-induced mice. The PEBP1-GPX4-mediated ferroptosis could be involved in the antidepressant mechanism of Xiaoyaosan. It also implied that ferroptosis could become a new target for research into the depression mechanism and antidepressant drugs.

Indexed as

chronic unpredictable mild stressdepressionferroptosisGPX4PEBP1Xiaoyaosan

Identifiers

PMID33854318
PMCPMC8039849
OpenAlexW3151586948

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.