Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40626542›Full record

ArticleCurrent pharmaceutical design2026

Bear Bile Powder Alleviates Corticosterone-induced Depression-like Behavior in Female Mice by Protecting Hippocampal Neurons via the BDNF/TrkB/ CREB Pathway.

Wei Shen, Zikang Li, Yanlin Tao, Houyuan Zhou, Hui Wu, Hailian Shi, Fei Huang, Xiaojun Wu

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Current pharmaceutical design, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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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

8 authors.

Wei ShenShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Zikang LiShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Yanlin TaoShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Houyuan ZhouShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Hui WuShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Hailian ShiShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Fei HuangShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.ORCID 0000-0002-9382-2980
Xiaojun WuShanghai Key Laboratory of Compound Chinese Medicines, the Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory for Standardization of Chinese Medicines, the MOE Innovation Centre for Basic Medicine Research on Qi-Blood TCM Theories, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.

Funding

Shanghai Pujiang Program 24PJA122
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBear bile powder (BBP) has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for calming the liver, pacifying the mind, and relieving convulsions, as recorded in Ben Jing Feng Yuan and Yu Qiu Yao Jie. Although the antidepressant effects of BBP have been previously reported, the underlying neurological mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant effects of BBP on corticosterone (CORT)-induced depression-like behaviors in female mice and to explore the involvement of the BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway.

methodsFemale mice received subcutaneous CORT injections to induce depression-like behaviors, followed by oral administration of BBP at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. Behavioral assessments, biochemical analyses, UPLC-MS/MS, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting were conducted to evaluate antidepressant effects. Additionally, a CORT-induced HT22 cell injury model was established to assess the neuroprotective mechanisms of BBP, with or without the TrkB antagonist K252a, focusing on the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway.

resultsBBP significantly alleviated depression-like behaviors in CORT-treated female mice. It restored neurotransmitter levels, reduced neuronal necrosis in the hippocampal CA3 region, increased DCX-positive cells in the dentate gyrus, and activated hippocampal BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling. In vitro, BBP attenuated CORT-induced apoptosis and promoted proliferation in HT22 cells. Applying K252a confirmed that BBP's neuroprotective and antidepressant effects were mediated via the BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that BBP exerts notable antidepressant and neuroprotective effects in female depression models by modulating neurotransmitters and enhancing neurogenesis through the BDNF/Trk- B/CREB pathway. Using both

conclusionBBP effectively alleviates CORT-induced depressive-like behaviors in female mice by restoring neurotransmitter balance, protecting hippocampal neurons, and promoting neurogenesis via the BDNF/Trk- B/CREB pathway. These results provide a theoretical basis for the potential application of BBP in managing female depression.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsDepressionHippocampusNeuronsNeuroprotective AgentsAnimalsBehavior, AnimalBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCorticosteroneCyclic AMP Response Element-Binding ProteinFemaleMicePowdersReceptor, trkBSignal TransductionUrsidaeAntidepressive AgentsBdnf protein, mouseBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCorticosteroneCreb1 protein, mouseCyclic AMP Response Element-Binding ProteinNeuroprotective AgentsNtrk2 protein, mousePowdersReceptor, trkBbear bile powdercorticosteroneDepressionhippocampal neuronsimmunohistochemistry.Western blotting

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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.