Dihydromyricetin Improves LPS-induced Sickness and Depressive-like Behaviors in Mice by Inhibiting the TLR4/Akt/HIF1a/NLRP3 Pathway

The NLRP3 inflammasome activation and neuroinflammation play a crucial role in nerve damage, which can lead to sickness and depressive-like behavior. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is an important flavanone extracted from Ampelopsis grossedentata. It has been shown to have a significant anti-inflammatory effect in multiple disease models. However, its protective effects on sickness and depressive-like behavior caused by neuroinflammation and its underlying mechanism are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanism of DMY on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice with sickness behavior and BV2 cells in Vitro. The effects of LPS treatment and DMY administration on behavioral changes were determined by using behavioral tests including an open field test, tail suspension test and a sucrose preference test. The anti-inflammatory effects of DMY in conditions of neuroinflammatory injury in Vitro and in Vivo were analyzed by using real-time PCR analysis and western blot. The results indicated that DMY improved sickness and depressive-like behaviors in mice induced by LPS. DMY suppressed the expression of microglia markers CD11b, accompanied by reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β, COX-2, and iNOS in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, DMY dramatically inhibited the expression of TLR4/Akt/HIF1a/NLRP3 signaling pathway-related proteins both in Vitro and in Vivo, including TLR4, CD14, PDPk1, p-Akt, p-NF-κB p65, p-GSK-3β, HIF1a, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1. The above results suggested that DMY suppressed the activation of the TLR4/Akt/HIF1a/NLRP3 pathway, which may contribute to its anti-depressive effects.