针刺抗抑郁症时内源性大麻素系统的作用与机制研究

抑郁症发病率高，社会负担重，而抗抑郁药有效率受限且副作用大。这些严重问题使得加强抑郁症的防治机制研究、寻找新的抗抑郁靶点具有重要的社会意义。针刺作为一种有效而副作用极少的抗抑郁疗法，其作用机制的进一步阐明将为推广这种疗法及开拓防治新思路提供重要科学根据。本项目组前期工作积累表明，针刺抗抑郁可能与其改善海马神经发生、缓解神经炎症及对胶质细胞的良性调控有关。新近资料及预实验均提示：针刺的多靶点调节作用可能与广泛分布的内源性大麻素系统密切相关。因此，系统研究抑郁症时中枢内源性大麻素系统的变化，揭示针刺是如何通过内源性大麻素系统调控中枢神经可塑性变化（如神经发生、胶质细胞功能改变等）将有助于切实阐明针刺抗抑郁的作用机制，为进一步发展针刺医学提供现代科学的新证据，并为开发新的抗抑郁药物提供新的思路或借鉴。

Depression is a series of severe diseases also called as affective disorders or mood disorders with high prevalence. The "common cold of mental illness" also places a heavy burden on society. The low efficiency and many side effects of clinically available antidepressants stimulate the invention of new potent antidepressants. Acupuncture is an effective antidepressant therapy with rarely adverse side effects. Uncovering the mechanism involved in the antidepressant effect of acupuncture will be propitious to make progess in the invention of new antidepressants. Our results showed that the antidepressant effects of acupuncture were involved in the enhancement of hippocampal neurogensis, alleviation of neuroinflammation and modulation of glial apoptosis. And the multi-target effects of acupuncture are probably correlated with the wide distributed endocannabinoid system. Therefore, in this project, we focus on the role of endocannabinoid system in depression and further pursue some researches on the underling mechanism of endocannabinoid system in the antidepressant effects of acupuncture on depression, involved in neurogenesis, neuroinflammation and glial apoptosis.