theanine and Mood-Disorders

The green tea amino acid theanine is abundant in green tea rather than black and oolong teas, which are all made of the identical tea plant "Chanoki" (Camellia sinensis). Theanine has a molecular structure close to glutamine (GLN) compared to glutamic acid (Glu), in terms of the absence of a free carboxylic acid moiety from the gamma carbon position. Theanine efficiently inhibits [

Topics: Amino Acid Transport System A; Animals; Brain; Cognition Disorders; Double-Blind Method; Forecasting; Glutamates; Glutamine; Hippocampus; Humans; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Mood Disorders; Neural Stem Cells; Neurogenesis; Neuroprotective Agents; Phosphorylation; Phytotherapy; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rats; Sleep Wake Disorders; Tea; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Chronic adolescent exposure to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is linked to elevated neuropsychiatric risk and induces neuronal, molecular and behavioral abnormalities resembling neuropsychiatric endophenotypes. Previous evidence has revealed that the mesocorticolimbic circuitry, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway are particularly susceptible to THC-induced pathologic alterations, including dysregulation of DAergic activity states, loss of PFC GABAergic inhibitory control and affective and cognitive abnormalities. There are currently limited pharmacological intervention strategies capable of preventing THC-induced neuropathological adaptations. l-Theanine is an amino acid analog of l-glutamate and l-glutamine derived from various plant sources, including green tea leaves. l-Theanine has previously been shown to modulate levels of GABA, DA, and glutamate in various neural regions and to possess neuroprotective properties. Using a preclinical model of adolescent THC exposure in male rats, we report that l-theanine pretreatment before adolescent THC exposure is capable of preventing long-term, THC-induced dysregulation of both PFC and VTA DAergic activity states, a neuroprotective effect that persists into adulthood. In addition, pretreatment with l-theanine blocked THC-induced downregulation of local GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) and Akt signaling pathways directly in the PFC, two biomarkers previously associated with cannabis-related psychiatric risk and subcortical DAergic dysregulation. Finally, l-theanine powerfully blocked the development of both affective and cognitive abnormalities commonly associated with adolescent THC exposure, further demonstrating functional and long-term neuroprotective effects of l-theanine in the mesocorticolimbic system.

Topics: Animals; Anxiety; Cerebral Cortex; Cognition Disorders; Dronabinol; Glutamates; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; Hallucinogens; Male; Mood Disorders; Nerve Net; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; Oncogene Protein v-akt; Prefrontal Cortex; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Social Behavior; Ventral Tegmental Area

Mood disorders represent one of the most prevalent and costly psychiatric diseases worldwide. The current therapies are generally characterized by several well-known side effects which limit their prolonged use. The use of herbal medicine for the management of several psychiatric conditions is becoming more established, as it is considered a safer support to conventional pharmacotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible anxiolytic and antidepressant activity of a fixed combination of L-theanine,

Topics: Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Behavior, Animal; Cells, Cultured; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Combinations; Glutamates; Magnolia; Male; Melissa; Mice; Mood Disorders; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Treatment Outcome