Figure 4. Anti-neuroinflammatory effects of paeoniflorin in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

The mice were sacrificed after 4weeks of treatment with paeoniflorin and behavioral tests. The medial prefrontal cortex was quickly removed and the levels of a series of inflammation-related cytokines and chemokines were analyzed using cytokine array analysis. The most effective dose of paeoniflorin in reversing depressive-like behaviors in interferon-α-treated mice, 40 mg/kg, showed anti-neuroinflammatory effects in the emotion-related mPFC that were, in some instances, similar to those seen with escitalopram. n=4 mice per group. *p< 0.05, **p< 0.01, ***p< 0.001 compared with the saline-treated group; #p< 0.05, ##p < 0.01, ###p< 0.001 compared with the interferon-α-treated group. Error bars: means±SEM.