Discovery of Depression Improvement Effects in Obesity Treatment Herbal Medicine

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Animal Experiment Results of 'Bangpungtongseongsan'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The research team led by Dr. Lee Mi-young of the Department of Integrative Korean Medicine at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine announced on the 8th that they discovered an antidepressant effect in the existing obesity treatment herbal medicine 'Bangpungtongseongsan' through a screening process of herbal prescriptions.

Bangpungtongseongsan is a representative herbal medicine used for obesity treatment and is also an over-the-counter drug used for symptoms accompanying hypertension (palpitations, shoulder stiffness, flushing), swelling, and constipation.

The research team identified an additional efficacy of 'Bangpungtongseongsan' that reduces anxiety and depressive behaviors through depression behavior tests and changes in brain neurotransmitters in animal models suitable for depression types.

Bangpungtongseongsan showed an antidepressant effect by improving inflammatory responses in signaling pathways affecting depression onset, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, cortisol regulation abnormalities, and imbalance of brain neurotransmitters. The team conducted Tail Suspension Test and Forced Swimming Test using mice. As a result, mice administered with Bangpungtongseongsan showed more than 50% improvement in anxiety and depression-related behaviors compared to the control group, such as reduced immobility time and increased total movement distance. It also demonstrated effects equal to or greater than those of fluoxetine, a representative antidepressant.

The research team plans to elucidate the correlation between obesity and depression through a high-fat diet animal model. They will also conduct a Phase 2 clinical trial for major depressive disorder with 'Bangpungtongseongsan,' which has already been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The research results were published in the international journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Dr. Lee stated, “Bangpungtongseongsan exhibits multi-mechanism effects beyond anti-inflammatory action, so it can potentially treat obesity and depression simultaneously. The range of treatment options using herbal medicine formulations can be expanded.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.