Oxidative stress is thought to be one of the important causes of anxiety and depression. Vanillic acid (VA) is a phenolic compound with a well-known anti-oxidative property. The present study was aimed to investigate the putative anxiolytic and antidepressant-like properties of VA in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged rats, and the potential involvement of its antioxidant effects. Rats were received VA (100 mg/kg, gavage, 10 consecutive days) or saline before intraperitoneal administration of LPS. Subsequently, rats were submitted to the elevated plus-maze (EPM), open-field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) 24 h after LPS administration. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were determined in the brain tissue. The results showed that LPS challenge leads to increased anxiety-like behavior along with decreased exploratory activity in EPM and OFT, and enhanced depression-like behavior in FST. These findings were associated with decreased SOD and GPx activities and increased MDA content in the brain tissue of LPS-challenged rats. Conversely, pretreatment with VA ameliorated all the above-mentioned LPS-induced neuropathological and biochemical changes. These results indicate that VA represent anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antioxidant properties in LPS-challenged rats, which may provide new insights into the development of novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with oxidative stress.

氧化应激被认为是导致焦虑和抑郁的重要原因之一。香草酸 (VA) 是一种酚类化合物，具有众所周知的抗氧化特性。本研究旨在研究 VA 在脂多糖 (LPS) 挑战的大鼠中推定的抗焦虑和抗抑郁样特性，以及其抗氧化作用的潜在参与。在腹腔内给予 LPS 之前，大鼠接受 VA（100 mg/kg，管饲，连续 10 天）或生理盐水。随后，大鼠在 LPS 给药 24 小时后进行高架十字迷宫 (EPM)、旷场试验 (OFT) 和强迫游泳试验 (FST)。此外，还测定了脑组织中的超氧化物歧化酶 (SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 (GPx) 和丙二醛 (MDA) 浓度。结果表明，LPS 挑战导致焦虑样行为增加，同时 EPM 和 OFT 中的探索活动减少，并增强 FST 中的抑郁样行为。这些发现与 LPS 攻击大鼠脑组织中 SOD 和 GPx 活性降低以及 MDA 含量增加有关。相反，VA预处理改善了所有上述LPS诱导的神经病理学和生化变化。这些结果表明，VA 代表 LPS 攻击大鼠的抗焦虑、抗抑郁和抗氧化特性，这可能为开发用于治疗与氧化应激相关的精神疾病的新型治疗剂提供新的见解。这些发现与 LPS 攻击大鼠脑组织中 SOD 和 GPx 活性降低以及 MDA 含量增加有关。相反，VA预处理改善了所有上述LPS诱导的神经病理学和生化变化。这些结果表明，VA 代表 LPS 攻击大鼠的抗焦虑、抗抑郁和抗氧化特性，这可能为开发用于治疗与氧化应激相关的精神疾病的新型治疗剂提供新的见解。这些发现与 LPS 攻击大鼠脑组织中 SOD 和 GPx 活性降低以及 MDA 含量增加有关。相反，VA预处理改善了所有上述LPS诱导的神经病理学和生化变化。这些结果表明，VA 代表 LPS 攻击大鼠的抗焦虑、抗抑郁和抗氧化特性，这可能为开发用于治疗与氧化应激相关的精神疾病的新型治疗剂提供新的见解。