The comorbidity of diabetes and depression has a negative impact on both lifestyle and quality of life. Astaxanthin (AST) has been demonstrated to improve glucose metabolism and has antidepressant-like effects, but it is not clear whether AST has potential for preventing depression in diabetes. The aim of this study is to observe the preventive and therapeutic effects of AST on glucose metabolism or depressive-like behaviors in a diabetic rat model produced by feeding with a high-fat diet for 10 weeks followed by injection of 25 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Preventive treatment with AST at doses of 7.5, 15, and 25 mg/kg/day was given by intragastric gavage 4 weeks before STZ injection. Preventive plus therapeutic treatment also involved therapeutic AST treatments for 6 more weeks after STZ injection, whereas therapeutic-only treatment involved only the 6-week post-STZ treatment. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated at the end of the treatment by using open field, locomotor activity, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming tests. Preventive and therapeutic treatment with AST both reduced the level of fasting glucose, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased total TCh and TG in diabetic rats. Preventive or preventative plus therapeutic treatment with AST decreased the immobility time and increased the time spent in the open arms of an elevated plus maze and locomotor activity in diabetic rats. However, therapeutic treatment with AST alone failed to affect the depressive-like behaviors. Preventive or preventative plus therapeutic treatment with AST at doses of 15 or 25 mg/kg significantly increased the expression of pERK, pAKT, pCREB, and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in diabetic rats. In contrast, therapeutic treatment with 25 mg/kg AST alone increased the expression of pERK in the PFC. This study indicates that AST may be used as a preventive or therapeutic approach for co-morbidity of diabetes and depression.

中文翻译：

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虾青素对高脂饮食和链脲佐菌素治疗的大鼠的抑郁样行为的预防和治疗作用。

糖尿病和抑郁症的合并症对生活方式和生活质量都有负面影响。虾青素（AST）已被证明可改善葡萄糖代谢并具有抗抑郁样作用，但尚不清楚AST是否具有预防糖尿病抑郁的潜力。这项研究的目的是观察AST对糖尿病大鼠模型的葡萄糖代谢或抑郁样行为的预防和治疗作用，该模型是通过高脂饮食喂养10周然后注射25 mg / kg链脲佐菌素（ STZ）。在STZ注射前4周，通过胃内管饲法以7.5、15和25 mg / kg /天的剂量进行AST的预防性治疗。预防性和治疗性治疗还包括在STZ注射后的6周内进行AST治疗，而仅治疗性治疗仅涉及STZ后6周的治疗。在治疗结束时，通过使用旷场，运动能力，高迷迷宫和强迫游泳等方法评估抑郁症样行为。AST的预防性和治疗性治疗均能降低糖尿病大鼠的空腹血糖水平，改善的葡萄糖耐量，并降低总TCh和TG。用AST进行的预防性或预防性加上治疗性治疗减少了糖尿病大鼠的不动时间，并增加了其在迷宫和运动能力增强迷宫中张开双臂所花费的时间。然而，仅用AST的治疗方法不能影响抑郁样行为。以15或25 mg / kg的剂量进行AST的预防性或预防性加上治疗性治疗可显着增加pERK，pAKT，pCREB，糖尿病大鼠前额叶皮层（PFC）中的BDNF和BDNF。相反，仅用25 mg / kg AST进行的治疗增加了PFC中pERK的表达。这项研究表明，AST可以用作糖尿病和抑郁症合并症的预防或治疗方法。