Food and Fermentation Industries >

2025 , Vol. 51 >Issue 22: 154 - 162

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.042294

The alleviating effect of Sargassum fusiforme polyphenol extract on depressive symptoms in mice under chronic unpredictable mild stress

  • ZHANG Yu ,
  • REN Qingxi ,
  • LIU Shuangping ,
  • LI Meiying ,
  • MAO Jian
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  • 1(College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China)
    2(Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China)
    3(Guangdong Engineering Research Center of High-Value Utilization and Equipment Development of Marine Biological Resources, Guangzhou 511458, China)
    4(School of Food Sciences and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China)

Received date: 2025-02-17

  Revised date: 2025-04-05

  Online published: 2025-12-15

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant effects of Sargassum fusiforme polyphenol extract (SFP) and its underlying mechanisms.A chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model was established in C57BL/6 J mice to induce depression-like behaviors.Mice were then administered varying doses of SFP to systematically evaluate its effects on body weight, behavioral performance, neurotransmitter levels, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, inflammatory cytokine expression, and hippocampal histopathology.Compared with the control group, the CUMS group exhibited a significant reduction in body weight (P<0.05) and depressive-like behaviors in tests such as the sucrose preference test.Furthermore, the CUMS group showed a marked decrease in the number of neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region, levels of neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and levels of anti-inflammatory factors such as interleukin-10 (P<0.05).Concurrently, there was a significant increase in HPA axis-related hormones and pro-inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1 beta (P<0.05).SFP intervention reversed these abnormalities in a dose-dependent manner.Mechanistically, SFP may exert its antidepressant effects through multiple pathways, including alleviating HPA axis hyperactivity, repairing damaged hippocampal neurons, and regulating neurotransmitter and inflammation levels.This study expands the field of antidepression and provides a new direction for the high-value development and utilization of marine algae resources in functional foods and the health industry.

Key words： Sargassum fusiforme polyphenol extract; depression; chronic unpredictable mild stress; neurotransmitters; inflammation; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Cite this article

ZHANG Yu , REN Qingxi , LIU Shuangping , LI Meiying , MAO Jian . The alleviating effect of Sargassum fusiforme polyphenol extract on depressive symptoms in mice under chronic unpredictable mild stress[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2025 , 51(22) : 154 -162 . DOI: 10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.042294

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