Diosgenin alleviates alcohol-mediated escalation of social defeat stress and the neurobiological sequalae

Emerging evidence indicates that persistent alcohol consumption escalates psychosocial trauma achieved by social defeat stress (SDS)-induced neurobiological changes and behavioral outcomes. Treatment with compounds with neuroprotective functions is believed to reverse ethanol (EtOH)-aggravated SDS-induced behavioral impairments.

We investigated the outcomes of diosgenin treatment, a phytosteroidal sapogenin in mice co-exposed to repeated SDS and EtOH administration.

During a period of 14 days, SDS male mice were repeatedly administered EtOH (20%, 10 mL/kg) orally from days 8–14 (n = 9). Within days 1–14, SDS mice fed with EtOH were simultaneously treated with diosgenin (25 and 50 mg/kg) or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) by oral gavage. Locomotor, cognitive-, depressive-, and anxiety-like behaviors were assessed. Adrenal weight, serum glucose, and corticosterone levels were assayed. Brain markers of oxido-inflammatory, neurochemical levels, monoamine oxidase-B, and acetylcholinesterase activities were measured in the striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus.

The anxiety-like behavior, depression, low stress resilience, social, and spatial/non-spatial memory decline exhibited by SDS mice exposed to repeated EtOH administration were alleviated by diosgenin (25 and 50 mg/kg) and fluoxetine, illustrated by increased dopamine and serotonin concentrations and reduced monoamine oxidase-B and acetylcholinesterase activities in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Diosgenin attenuated SDS + EtOH interaction induced corticosterone release and adrenal hypertrophy, accompanied by reduced TNF-α, IL-6, malondialdehyde, and nitrite levels in the striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Diosgenin increased glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels in SDS + EtOH-exposed mice.

Our data suggest that diosgenin reverses SDS + EtOH interaction-induced behavioral changes via normalization of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, neurochemical neurotransmissions, and inhibition of oxidative and inflammatory mediators in mice brains.