Several investigations suggest that the vulnerability to develop depressive disorders is related to the fluctuation and decrease in estrogen before and during menopause, since these hormones participate in the regulation of mood.
To treat depression during menopause, antidepressants and hormone replacement therapy are used, which can produce adverse effects and, in addition, some patients show no response; this makes it necessary to identify more effective and safer options, explained Brenda Valdés Sustaita, a graduate of the Department of Pharmacobiology of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), of the National Polytechnic Institute.
Hormone replacement therapy with estrogens is associated with the risk of developing endometrial or breast cancer when administered for more than five years, as well as cardiovascular effects (infarction or venous thromboembolism), for which alternative treatments have been used, such as phytoestrogens and pomegranate is a source of them.
Valdés analyzed the antidepressant effects of an extract of this fruit (Punica granatum) in an animal model of menopause, study under the direction of Carolina López Rubalcava, researcher from the Department of Pharmacobiology at Cinvestav, and Érika Estrada Camarena, from the National Institute of Psychiatry.
As part of the results, it was found that pomegranate extract produces antidepressant-like effects mediated by estrogen receptors, which suggests that it could be an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
In the research, part of Valdés’ doctoral thesis, it was determined that the type of estrogen receptor involved in the antidepressant effects of pomegranate is the so-called beta, associated mainly with the regulation of learning processes, memory and mood.
This represents a safer alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy, which produces the activation of the estrogen receptor alpha, associated with cell proliferation processes in tissues such as the breast and endometrium that can contribute to the development of cancer.
Additionally, in experimental tests it was identified that, similarly to some antidepressant drugs, the effect reported for pomegranate extract is mediated by the serotonergic neurotransmission system. The information collected helps to elucidate some of the mechanisms of action of the compounds of this fruit, understand its advantages over current treatments and establish the appropriate conditions for its use.
The work was carried out in an animal model of menopause (absence of estrogen). For this, several groups were formed and randomly administered pomegranate extract, orally or intraperitoneally, at different doses and times.
In order to evaluate the antidepressant-like effect of the extract, the forced swim test was used, which allows detecting changes in the behavior of the animals (mobility, swimming and climbing) after administering the molecules to be analyzed. In the case of pomegranate extract, swimming behavior increased, which is associated with the serotonergic system.
Pomegranate has high nutritional value and, in addition to phytoestrogens, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Therefore, the antidepressant-like effect could be the result of the synergy of each of its components and thus benefit the body in an integral way, Valdés concluded.
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