BNIP-3: A novel candidate for an intrinsic depression-related factor found in NG108-15 cells treated with Hochu-ekki-to, a traditional oriental medicine, or typical antidepressants

Wakan-yaku is a type of Japanese and Sino traditional, systematized medical care that has been practiced for hundreds of years. To search for novel intrinsic factors related to the action of antidepressants, we used Hochu-ekki-to (HET), a Wakan-yaku medicine with antidepressive effects. First, we verified the quality of the HET by three-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography and a cytotoxicity check in NG108-15 cells. We performed a DNA microarray analysis of the gene expression in cells treated with 50 μ/ml HET for more than 20 days. HET enhanced the expression of 125 (2.9%) genes and decreased the expression of 255 (6.0%) genes among the 4277 genes that were tested. The concentration-dependent increase in the expression of BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19-kDa protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP-3) mRNA was particularly remarkable. A concentration-dependent increase in the expression of BNIP-3 mRNA was also observed when cells were treated with imipramine, mianserin, or milnacipran. These results suggest that BNIP-3 is a candidate for an intrinsic factor related to antidepressive effects and that Wakan-yaku theory may be useful for the identification of other intrinsic functional molecules.