Fig. 5

miRNA/mRNA regulatory network of LBRD standard decoction for CUMS-induced rats depression treatment. A Heat map from deep-sequencing depicting the most significant differentially expressed miRNAs from mPFC tissues among experimental groups. B Interactive network of down-regulated miRNAs targeting up-regulated mRNAs for the antidepressant effect of the LBRD standard decoction. C Interactive network of up-regulated miRNAs targeting down-regulated mRNAs for the antidepressant effect of the LBRD standard decoction. Blue represents down-regulated miRNAs and up-regulated mRNAs from the LBRD standard decoction compared to the CUMS group, as well as the CUMS group compared to the control. Red represents up-regulated miRNAs or down-regulated mRNAs. D KEGG pathway of those predicted target mRNAs overlapping with DEGs in the transcriptome in mPFC tissues derived from CUMS-induced rats with depression treated with the LBRD standard decoction. CUMS-induced rat depression model. E The relative level of rno-miR-144-3p, rno-miR-495, rno-miR-879-5p, rno-miR-34c-5p, and rno-miR-346 from mPFC tissues (n = 4 per/group), which were analyzed by high-throughput miRNA sequencing. F qRT-PCR was used to analyze the relative values of rno-miR-144-3p, rno-miR-495, rno-miR-879-5p, rno-miR-34c-5p, and rno-miR-346 (n = 8–12 per/group), including the cases used for high-throughput sequencing. U6 was set as the internal control. Differences between two groups were compared by Student’s t-test. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, compared to control group; ^##P < 0.01, ^###P < 0.001, compared to CUMS + Saline group. CUMS + Saline: CUMS + Saline group, CUMS + LBRD: CUMS + Lily Bulb and Rehmannia Decoction group