Korean red ginseng and Rb1 restore altered social interaction, gene expressions in the medial prefrontal cortex, and gut metabolites under post-weaning social isolation in mice

Background Post-weaning social isolation (SI) reduces sociability, gene expressions including myelin genes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and alters microbiome compositions in rodent models. Korean red ginseng (KRG) and its major ginsenoside Rb1 have been reported to affect myelin formation and gut metabolites. However, their effects under post-weaning SI have not been investigated. This study investigated the effects of KRG and Rb1 on sociability, gene expressions in the mPFC, and gut metabolites under post-weaning SI. Methods C57BL/6J mice were administered with water or KRG (150, 400 mg/kg) or Rb1 (0.1 mg/kg) under SI or regular environment (RE) for 2 weeks during the post-weaning period (P21–P35). After this period, mice underwent a sociability test, and then brains and ceca were collected for qPCR/immunohistochemistry and non-targeted metabolomics, respectively. Results SI reduced sociability compared to RE; however, KRG (400 mg/kg) and Rb1 significantly restored sociability under SI. In the mPFC, expressions of genes related to myelin, neurotransmitter, and oxidative stress were significantly reduced in mice under SI compared to RE conditions. Under SI, KRG and Rb1 recovered the altered expressions of several genes in the mPFC. In gut metabolomics, 313 metabolites were identified as significant among 3027 detected metabolites. Among the significantly changed metabolites in SI, some were recovered by KRG or Rb1, including metabolites related to stress axis, inflammation, and DNA damage. Conclusion Altered sociability, gene expression levels in the mPFC, and gut metabolites induced by two weeks of post-weaning SI were at least partially recovered by KRG and Rb1.