Wang Zhenzhen mainly focuses on exploring the novel pathogenesis and drug targets of depression and the pharmacological research of innovative antidepressant drugs. The specific research contents are as follows:
1. Novel pathogenesis and drug targets of depression: the function of gap junction or hemichannel mediated by connexin 43 in astrocytes; the mechanisms of stress sensitivity and resistance; the relationship between glucocorticoid receptor and depression, etc.
2. Innovative antidepressant drugs: the antidepressant mechanisms of Ginsenoside Rg1 and other natural products; R&D of selective PDE4D inhibitors and fast-acting antidepressant innovative drugs, etc.
1. Novel antidepressant mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1: Regulating biosynthesis and degradation of connexin43. Journal of Ethnopharmacology ,2021: 114212.
2. Comparative proteomic characterization of ventral hippocampus in susceptible and resilient rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress. Frontiers in Neuroscience , 2021; doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.675430.
3. Hair growth predicts a depression-like phenotype in rats as a mirror of stress traceability. Neurochemistry International , 2021: 105110.
4. The receptor hypothesis and the pathogenesis of depression: Genetic bases and biological correlates. Pharmacological Research , 2021; 167: 105542.
5. Update on the association between alpha-synuclein and tau with mitochondrial dysfunction: Implications for Parkinson's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience, 2021; 53(9):2946-2959.
6. Mitophagy, a Form of Selective Autophagy, Plays an Essential Role in Mitochondrial Dynamics of Parkinson's Disease. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology , 2021; doi: 10.1007/s10571-021-01039-w.
7. Connexin 43: A novel ginsenoside Rg1-sensitive target in a rat model of depression. Neuropharmacology, 2020; 170:108041.
8. The protective effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on depression may benefit from the gap junction function in hippocampal astrocytes. European Journal of Pharmacology , 2020; 882:173309.
9. Potential Application of Endocannabinoid System Agents in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Diseases-Focusing on FAAH/MAGL Inhibitors. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 2020; 41(10):1263-1271.
10. Role of Non-coding RNA in the Pathogenesis of Depression. Gene , 2020;735:144276.
11. Dynamin-related protein 1: A critical protein in mitochondrial fission, mitophagy, and neuronal death of Parkinson's disease. Pharmacological Research , 2020;151:104553.
12. The effects of glucocorticoids on depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, mineralocorticoid receptor-dependent cell proliferation regulates anxiety-like behaviors. Behavioural Brain Research, 2019; 362: 288-298.
13. RNAi-mediated knockdown of DJ-1 leads to mitochondrial dysfunction via Akt/GSK-3ss and JNK signaling pathways in dopaminergic neuron-like cells. Brain Res Bull, 2019;146:228-236.
14. Mangiferin: A multipotent natural product preventing neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease models. Pharmacological Research, 2019;146:104336.
15. The extended application of The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates in rats of various body weight. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2018; 307: 60-69.
16. A novel mechanism of depression: role for connexins. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018; 28(4): 483-498.
17. Gap junction channels as potential targets for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 2018; 235(1):1-12.
18. Ginsenoside Rg1 alleviates corticosterone-induced dysfunction of gap junctions in astrocytes. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2017; 208: 207-213.
19. Corticosterone impairs gap junctions in the prefrontal cortical and hippocampal astrocytes via different mechanisms. Neuropharmacology, 2017; 131: 20-30.
20. Ginsenoside Rg1-induced antidepressant effects involve the protection of astrocyte gap junctions within the prefrontal cortex. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry, 2017; 75: 183-191.
21. Possible target-related proteins of stress-resistant rats suggested by label-free protemic analysis. RSC Advances, 2017; 7: 40957-40964.
22. Does mineralocorticoid receptor play a vital role in the development of depressive disorder? Life Sciences, 2016; 152: 76-81.
23. Phosphodiesterase-4D Knock-down in the Prefrontal Cortex Alleviates Chronic Unpredictable Stress-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors and Memory Deficits in Mice. Scientific Reports, 2015; 5: 11332.
24. Phosphodiesterase (PDEs): An interface connecting cognitive deficits to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2015; 21: 303-316.
25. Effects of chronic mild stress on behavioral and neurobiological parameters - Role of glucocorticoid. Hormones and Behavior, 2015; 78: 150-159.
26. Chemokine-like factor 1 promotes the migration of rat primary cortical neurons by the induction of actin polymerization. Neuroreport, 2014; 25: 1221-1226.
27. Systematic review of traditional chinese medicine for depression in Parkinson's disease. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2014; 42: 1035-1051.
28. RNA interference-mediated phosphodiesterase-4D splice variants knockdown in the prefrontal cortex produces antidepressant-like and cognition-enhancing effects. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2013; 168: 1001-1014.
29. A meta-analysis of the relationship of the Parkin p.Val380Leu polymorphism to Parkinson's disease. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2013; 162: 235-244.
30. Developmental expression of chemokine-like factor 1, a novel member of chemokines family, in postnatal rat cerebral cortex. Neuroscience Letters, 2012; 519: 51-55.
31. Lack of association between p.Ser167Asn variant of Parkin and Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis of 15 studies involving 2,280 cases and 2,459 controls. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2012; 159B: 38-47.
32. Meta-analysis of the influence of Parkin p.Asp394Asn variant on the susceptibility of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience Letters, 2012; 524: 60-64.
33. Chemokine-like factor 1, a novel cytokine, induces nerve cell migration through the non-extracellular Ca2+-dependent tyrosine kinases pathway. Brain Research, 2010; 1308: 24-34.
34. Protection of Veratrum nigrum L. var. ussuriense Nakai alkaloids against ischemia-reperfusion injury of the rat liver. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2007; 13: 564-571.
The winner of the 18th SERVIER-CNPHARS Award by Chinese Pharmacological Society (CNPHARS) and Servier, France, in October 2014.