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Buț MG, Jîtcă G, Imre S, Vari CE, Ősz BE, Jîtcă CM, Tero-Vescan A. The Lack of Standardization and Pharmacological Effect Limits the Potential Clinical Usefulness of Phytosterols in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:1722. [PMID: 37111945 PMCID: PMC10142909 DOI: 10.3390/plants12081722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) markedly increases with age. Phytotherapeutic approaches have been developed over time owing to the adverse side effects of conventional medications such as 5-reductase inhibitors and α1-adrenergic receptor antagonists. Therefore, dietary supplements (DS) containing active compounds that benefit BPH are widely available. Phytosterols (PSs) are well recognized for their role in maintaining blood cholesterol levels; however, their potential in BPH treatment remains unexplored. This review aims to provide a general overview of the available data regarding the clinical evidence and a good understanding of the detailed pharmacological roles of PSs-induced activities at a molecular level in BPH. Furthermore, we will explore the authenticity of PSs content in DS used by patients with BPH compared to the current legislation and appropriate analytical methods for tracking DS containing PSs. The results showed that PSs might be a useful pharmacological treatment option for men with mild to moderate BPH, but the lack of standardized extracts linked with the regulation of DS containing PSs and experimental evidence to elucidate the mechanisms of action limit the use of PSs in BPH. Moreover, the results suggest multiple research directions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mădălina-Georgiana Buț
- Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, I.O.S.U.D, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania; (M.-G.B.); (C.-M.J.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania;
| | - George Jîtcă
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania; (C.E.V.); (B.E.Ő.)
| | - Silvia Imre
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Drug Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania;
| | - Camil Eugen Vari
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania; (C.E.V.); (B.E.Ő.)
| | - Bianca Eugenia Ősz
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania; (C.E.V.); (B.E.Ő.)
| | - Carmen-Maria Jîtcă
- Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, I.O.S.U.D, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania; (M.-G.B.); (C.-M.J.)
| | - Amelia Tero-Vescan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Târgu Mures, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania;
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Tsuda MC, Mahdi S, Namchuk A, Wu TJ, Lucki I. Vendor differences in anxiety-like behaviors in female and male Sprague Dawley rats. Physiol Behav 2020; 227:113131. [PMID: 32791181 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Although Sprague Dawley outbred rats are commonly used in behavioral, physiological, and pharmacological studies, dramatic differences in responses may emerge from rats obtained from different suppliers even when sex, age, and environmental conditions are maintained constant. In the present study, we compared behavioral responses on three tests related to anxiety of Sprague Dawley female and male rats obtained from three different vendors in the United States: Charles River, Envigo, and Taconic. All rats were tested in the open field, light-dark box, and elevated zero maze. We found reduced time spent in the center area of the open field and decreased light compartment duration in the light-dark box test in female and male rats from Taconic compared to Charles River and Envigo rats, suggesting anxiety-like behaviors differ between the three vendors. No vendor differences were found on performance in the elevated zero maze. Furthermore, the contribution of stress hormones to vendor differences was examined by measuring serum corticosterone levels in rats 30 min after exposure to the elevated zero maze. There were no vendor differences in corticosterone levels, suggesting that endogenous levels of stress hormones most likely did not contribute to vendor differences in anxiety-like behaviors. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of vendor selection of the Sprague Dawley stock for research involving behavioral tests related to anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mumeko C Tsuda
- Rat Behavior Core, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Sumayyah Mahdi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amanda Namchuk
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - T John Wu
- Rat Behavior Core, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Irwin Lucki
- Rat Behavior Core, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Sabry FM, Ibrahim MK, Hamed MR, Ahmed HMS. Neurobehavioral effects of alcohol in overcrowded male adolescent rats. Neurosci Lett 2020; 731:135084. [PMID: 32485284 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Being a critical neurodevelopmental stage that is affected by social conditions, the period of adolescence was chosen as the age of examining possible modification of alcohol neurobehavioral effects by overcrowding. Adolescent male rats (postnatal day 35±1) were subjected to overcrowding and/or injected with ethanol, 2 g/kg, 20% w/v, (i.p.) for one week. 24 h after the last dose, motor, exploratory behavior, sociability and fear responses were assessed using open field, social interaction and defensive probe burying tests, respectively. Wet brain tissue nitric oxide and reduced glutathione contents as well as monoamine levels, namely dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, in addition to 5-HIAA were estimated. Overcrowding increased social play and freezing time. Alcohol administration under overcrowding condition impaired sociability and interfered with active fear response. Alcohol in normal or in under overcrowding condition, impaired motor and exploratory behavior and increased anxiety. These results indicate that concomitant exposure of male adolescent rats to overcrowding and alcohol induced adverse behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma M Sabry
- Department of Developmental Pharmacology, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Egypt.
| | - Michael K Ibrahim
- Department of Developmental Pharmacology, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Egypt
| | - M Raouf Hamed
- Department of Developmental Pharmacology, National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Egypt
| | - Helmy M Sayed Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Egypt
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Wadley G. How psychoactive drugs shape human culture: A multi-disciplinary perspective. Brain Res Bull 2016; 126:138-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Frau L, Simola N, Porceddu PF, Morelli M. Effect of crowding, temperature and age on glia activation and dopaminergic neurotoxicity induced by MDMA in the mouse brain. Neurotoxicology 2016; 56:127-138. [PMID: 27451954 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
3,4-methylenedyoxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy"), a recreational drug of abuse, can induce glia activation and dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Since MDMA is often consumed in crowded environments featuring high temperatures, we studied how these factors influenced glia activation and dopaminergic neurotoxicity induced by MDMA. C57BL/6J adolescent (4 weeks old) and adult (12 weeks old) mice received MDMA (4×20mg/kg) in different conditions: 1) while kept 1, 5, or 10×cage at room temperature (21°C); 2) while kept 5×cage at either room (21°C) or high (27°C) temperature. After the last MDMA administration, immunohistochemistry was performed in the caudate-putamen for CD11b and GFAP, to mark microglia and astroglia, and in the substantia nigra pars compacta for tyrosine hydroxylase, to mark dopaminergic neurons. MDMA induced glia activation and dopaminergic neurotoxicity, compared with vehicle administration. Crowding (5 or 10 mice×cage) amplified MDMA-induced glia activation (in adult and adolescent mice) and dopaminergic neurotoxicity (in adolescent mice). Conversely, exposure to a high environmental temperature (27°C) potentiated MDMA-induced glia activation in adult and adolescent mice kept 5×cage, but not dopaminergic neurotoxicity. Crowding and exposure to a high environmental temperature amplified MDMA-induced hyperthermia, and a positive correlation between body temperature and activation of either microglia or astroglia was found in adult and adolescent mice. These results provide further evidence that the administration setting influences the noxious effects of MDMA in the mouse brain. However, while crowding amplifies both glia activation and dopaminergic neurotoxicity, a high environmental temperature exacerbates glia activation only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Frau
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Pier Francesca Porceddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Micaela Morelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy; CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Cagliari, Italy.
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Busceti CL, Pietro PD, Riozzi B, Traficante A, Biagioni F, Nisticò R, Fornai F, Battaglia G, Nicoletti F, Bruno V. 5-HT2C serotonin receptor blockade prevents tau protein hyperphosphorylation and corrects the defect in hippocampal synaptic plasticity caused by a combination of environmental stressors in mice. Pharmacol Res 2015; 99:258-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2015.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Loseva EV, Sarkisova KY, Loginova NA, Kudrin VS. Depressive Behavior and Monoamine Contents in Brain Structures of Rats During Chronic Overcrowding. Bull Exp Biol Med 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10517-015-2953-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Zohar I, Dosoretz-Abittan L, Shoham S, Weinstock M. Sex dependent reduction by prenatal stress of the expression of 5HT1A receptors in the prefrontal cortex and CRF type 2 receptors in the raphe nucleus in rats: reversal by citalopram. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1643-53. [PMID: 25420605 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3803-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alterations in the serotonergic transmission and activity of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family may underlie anxiety and depressive disorders. These could be corrected by treatment with SSRIs. OBJECTIVES The objective of the current study is to determine whether the increased anxiety of prenatally stressed (PS) rats of both sexes is associated with changes in 5HT1A and CRF type 2 receptors (5HT1AR and CRFR2) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN) axis, and how these are affected by chronic treatment with citalopram (10 mg/kg/day). We focussed on GABAergic cells that co-express parvalbumin and/or neuropeptide Y, and 5HT1AR in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and on cells that express 5HT, parvalbumin, 5HT1AR or CRFR2 in the DRN. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry with fluorescent antibodies demonstrated sex differences in the expression of 5HT1AR and CRFR2 protein. Prenatal stress selectively reduced the expression of 5HT1AR on GABAergic cells in the mPFC in males and that of CRFR2 in the DRN of females. Citalopram treatment for 5 weeks abolished the increase in anxiety in both sexes, restored the intensity of expression of 5HT1AR in the mPFC in males and increased their expression in the mPFC and DRN in females. Citalopram reduced CRFR2 expression in control and PS males but increased it in PS females. CONCLUSIONS Male and female rats show differences in the expression of 5HT1AR and CRFR2 protein that are selectively reduced by prenatal stress. Reversal by citalopram of the changes in the expression of these receptors induced by prenatal stress support their role in the aetiology of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbar Zohar
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Drug Research, Hebrew University Medical Centre, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
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Ago Y, Tanaka T, Ota Y, Kitamoto M, Imoto E, Takuma K, Matsuda T. Social crowding in the night-time reduces an anxiety-like behavior and increases social interaction in adolescent mice. Behav Brain Res 2014; 270:37-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Revised: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Loseva EV, Loginova NA, Mezentseva MV, Klodt PM, Kudrin VS. Immunological Parameters of the Blood and Monoamine Content in the Brain of Rats during Long-Term Overcrowding. Bull Exp Biol Med 2013; 155:470-3. [DOI: 10.1007/s10517-013-2181-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Abstract
Behavioral indicators of anxiety and body weight dynamics were compared in rats kept under standard conditions (4-5 animals per cage) and in overpopulated cages (17 rats per cage). The behavior of rats exposed to overcrowding for a short and long period was evaluated in the open field, light-darkness, and elevated plus-maze tests. The anxiety parameters of animals increased only in the light-darkness test during the acute period of overcrowding and in all tests during chronic overcrowding. Behavioral tests had a negative impact on body weight gain in controls and rats living in overpopulated cages. If the behavioral tests were carried out at the beginning of the experiment, body weight ceased to increase in animals exposed to overcrowding and continued to increase in the controls. Overcrowding without behavioral tests had no effects on the body weight dynamics. The model of chronic (but not acute) overcrowding may be used for evaluation of anxiolytic effects of drugs.
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Spinelli S, Chefer S, Carson RE, Jagoda E, Lang L, Heilig M, Barr CS, Suomi SJ, Higley JD, Stein EA. Effects of early-life stress on serotonin(1A) receptors in juvenile Rhesus monkeys measured by positron emission tomography. Biol Psychiatry 2010; 67:1146-53. [PMID: 20172506 PMCID: PMC2882499 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2009] [Revised: 12/14/2009] [Accepted: 12/26/2009] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic experiences in early childhood are associated with increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders later in life. Low serotonin(1A) receptor (5-HT(1A)R) density during development has been proposed as a trait-like characteristic leading to increased vulnerability of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. METHODS To assess the relationship between early-life stress and alterations in the serotonin system during development, we used positron emission tomography to measure in vivo 5-HT(1A)R density and apparent dissociation constant (K(D)(app)) in the brain of juvenile Rhesus monkeys exposed to the early-life stress of peer-rearing. RESULTS In general, 5-HT(1A)R density and K(D)(app) were decreased in peer-reared compared with control mother-reared animals. However, increase in receptor density was found in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex of peer-reared females. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that exposure to an adverse early-life environment during infancy is associated with long-term alterations in the serotonin system and support previous studies suggesting that reduced 5-HT(1A)R density during development might be a factor increasing vulnerability to stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Furthermore, alterations in the serotonin system seemed to be gender- and region-specific, providing a biological basis for the higher prevalence of affective disorders in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Spinelli
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Poolesville, MD, USA.
| | - Svetlana Chefer
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Elaine Jagoda
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD
| | - Lixin Lang
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Bethesda, MD
| | - Markus Heilig
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD
| | - Christina S. Barr
- Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Poolesville, MD
| | - Stephen J. Suomi
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Poolesville, MD
| | - J. Dee Higley
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
| | - Elliot A. Stein
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD
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Daniels WMU, de Klerk Uys J, van Vuuren P, Stein DJ. The development of behavioral and endocrine abnormalities in rats after repeated exposure to direct and indirect stress. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2008; 4:451-64. [PMID: 18728793 PMCID: PMC2518375 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s2450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study compared the effects of direct and indirect stress on the behavior and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of rats. Animals were placed in a two compartment box. In one compartment the direct stressed rat was subjected to electric foot shocks randomly applied for 10 minutes (0.5 mA of 1 s duration). In the adjacent compartment, the indirect stressed rats witnessed the application of these electric foot shocks. Our data showed substantial behavioral changes in the open field test, but limited effects in the elevated plus maze. The findings suggested that single and repeated stress exposure may have different consequences, that the effects of stress exposure may develop over time and persist for an extended period, and that both direct and indirect stressed rats displayed a hyposensitive HPA axis following acute restraint stress. Overall our observations moderately indicate direct exposure to elicit behavioral changes, and both direct and indirect exposure to stress to result in aberrations within the neuroendocrine system. With additional development our stress models may be considered for studying the complex interrelationship between an external stressor, and the experience of the organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willie Mark Uren Daniels
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch South Africa.
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Stamatakis A, Mantelas A, Papaioannou A, Pondiki S, Fameli M, Stylianopoulou F. Effect of neonatal handling on serotonin 1A sub-type receptors in the rat hippocampus. Neuroscience 2006; 140:1-11. [PMID: 16533571 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2005] [Revised: 01/27/2006] [Accepted: 01/27/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin 1A sub-type receptors play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of depression, which is known to occur more often in females than males. Early experiences can be a predisposing factor for depression; however, the underlying cellular processes remain unknown. In an effort to address such issues, we employed neonatal handling, an experimental model of early experience, which has been previously shown to render females more vulnerable to display enhanced depression-like behavior in response to chronic stress, while it increases the ability of males to cope. In rat pre-pubertal (30 days of age) and adult (90 days) hippocampus, of both males and females, the effect of neonatal handling on serotonin 1A sub-type receptor mRNA and protein levels was determined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively, while the number of binding sites was determined by in vitro autoradiography using [(3)H]8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin as the ligand. Our results revealed a significant sex difference in serotonin 1A sub-type receptor mRNA, protein and binding sites, with females having higher levels than males. Handling resulted in statistically significant decreased numbers of cells positive for serotonin 1A sub-type receptor mRNA or protein, as well as [(3)H]8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin binding sites in the area 4 of Ammon's horn and dentate gyrus of both pre-pubertal males and females. In adult animals the number of serotonin 1A sub-type receptor mRNA positive cells was increased as a result of handling in the area 1 of Ammon's horn, area 4 of Ammon's horn and dentate gyrus of males, while it was decreased only in the area 4 of Ammon's horn of females. Furthermore, the number of serotonin sub-type 1A receptor immunopositive cells, as well as [(3)H]8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin binding sites was increased in the area 1 of Ammon's horn, area 4 of Ammon's horn and dentate gyrus of handled males, whereas it was decreased in these same brain areas in the handled females. We can thus infer that neonatal handling results in alterations in postsynaptic serotonergic neurotransmission, which may contribute to the sex dimorphic effects of handling as to the vulnerability toward depression-like behavior in response to chronic stressful stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Stamatakis
- Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Athens, 123 Papadiamantopoulou str., 11527 Athens, Greece
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