Date of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience

Director of Thesis

Dr. Claudia A Grillo

Second Reader

Dr. Lawrence P Reagan

Abstract

Obesity and major depressive disorder are two conditions with high comorbidity as well as overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, including neuroinflammation, metabolic/endocrine dysfunction, and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. Panax ginseng, a medicinal herb, is known to demonstrate anti-inflammatory and metabolic regulatory properties. Ginseng has demonstrated its effective antidepressant-like effects within preclinical studies, but its potential to restore neurogenesis in the context of obesity-induced depression is not clear. Within this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were tested in either a high fat diet (HFD) or control diet (Cont) for 12 weeks and then was treated subsequently with daily intraperitoneal injections of either ginseng or saline for three weeks. Ginseng reduced both body weight and adipose tissue volume without affecting the bone density or soft tissue composition of the animals. Additionally, ginseng increased the active coping behaviors that were present during a performed forced swim test. The DCX-positively stained neurons show a consistent trend towards a higher number of immature neurons and greater dendritic complexity within the ginseng treatment groups regardless of diet treatment. These findings lead to the suggestion that ginseng may restore hippocampal plasticity that is disrupted by obesity and depressive states, supporting ginseng as a dual-action metabolic restorer as well as showing neurogenic intervention.

First Page

1

Last Page

23

Rights

© 2026, Hayden L. Withers, Claudia A. Grillo, Lawrence P. Reagan, Natalia Maciejewska, Sai V. Nallu, & Jennifer L. Woodruff

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