Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and recurrent psychiatric disease, however, the pathogenesis of MDD remains poorly understood.
Curcumin, a natural polyphenol compound that is contained in turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been reported to have a broad range of properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. Many preclinical and clinical studies have reported that curcumin displayed in modulating neurotransmitter concentrations, inflammatory pathways, excitotoxicity, neuroplasticity, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal disturbances, insulin resistance, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and endocannabinoid system, all of which can be involved in MDD pathophysiology.
We revealed that CUD003, a novel synthetic derivate of curcumin, has a more potent antidepressant-like effect than curcumin in several animal models of depression (forced swim test, social defeat stress model, lipopolysaccharide-induced depression model) in mice. In this talk, we would like to discuss the mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of CUD003 in more detail.