Activation of the hippocampal AC‐cAMP‐PKA‐CREB‐BDNF signaling pathway using WTKYR in depression model rats

Abstract Depression, also called “depression disorder,” is characterized by a significant and persistent low mood. It has become a major refractory disease in the 21st century. In recent years, Chinese medicine has shown some important clinical value in the treatment of depression. Among them, the Warming and “Tonifying” Kidney‐Yang Recipe (WTKYR) has been demonstrated to have obvious effects in the clinical treatments of depression; however, the mechanism remains unclear. This study is based on the adenylyl cyclase (AC)—cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)—protein kinase A (PKA)—cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB)—brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway, aiming to investigate the mechanism of WTKYR. The results showed that WTKYR can upregulate AC‐cAMP‐PKA‐CREB‐BDNF in the hippocampus of depression model rats and alleviate its depressive symptoms, which may be the mechanism of WTKYR.