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Gallo MT, Dolci B, Fumagalli F, Brivio P, Calabrese F. Prenatal Fluoxetine Exposure Influences Glucocorticoid Receptor-Mediated Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex of Adolescent Rats Exposed to Acute Stress. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1560-1569. [PMID: 38507566 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00856] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Any deviation from the programmed processes of brain development may modify its formation and functions, thereby precipitating pathological conditions, which often become manifest in adulthood. Exposure to a challenge during crucial periods of vulnerability, such as adolescence, may reveal molecular changes preceding behavioral outcomes. Based on a previous study showing that prenatal fluoxetine (FLX) leads to the development of an anhedonic-like behavior in adult rats, we aimed to assess whether the same treatment regimen (i.e., fluoxetine during gestation; 15 mg/kg/day) influences the ability to respond to acute restraint stress (ARS) during adolescence. We subjected the rats to a battery of behavioral tests evaluating the development of various phenotypes (cognitive deficit, anhedonia, and anxiety). Furthermore, we carried out molecular analyses in the plasma and prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in stress response, and whose functions are commonly altered in neuropsychiatric conditions. Our findings confirm that prenatal manipulation did not affect behavior in adolescent rats but impaired the capability to respond properly to ARS. Indeed, we observed changes in several molecular key players of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, particularly influencing genomic effects mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor. This study highlights that prenatal FLX exposure influences the ability of adolescent male rats to respond to an acute challenge, thereby altering the functionality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and indicates that the prenatal manipulation may prime the response to challenging events during this critical period of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa Gallo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Beatrice Dolci
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Paola Brivio
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Francesca Calabrese
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan 20133, Italy
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Gallo MT, Brivio P, Dolci B, Fumagalli F, Calabrese F. Perinatal serotonergic manipulation shapes anhedonic and cognitive behaviors in a sex- and age-dependent manner: Identification of related biological functions at central and peripheral level. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 114:118-130. [PMID: 37595877 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Poor knowledge about psychiatric disorders often results in similar diagnoses for patients with different symptoms, thus limiting the effectiveness of the available medications. As suggested by several lines of evidence, to improve these shortcomings, it is essential to identify biomarkers associated with specific symptoms and to stratify patients into more homogeneous populations taking a further step toward personalized medicine. Here, we aimed to associate specific behavioral phenotypes with specific molecular alterations by employing an animal model based on the pharmacological manipulation of the serotonergic system, which mimics a condition of vulnerability to develop psychiatric disorders. In particular, we treated female and male rats with fluoxetine (FLX 15 mg/kg dissolved in drinking water) during prenatal or early postnatal life, and we evaluated different pathological-like phenotypes (cognitive deficit, anhedonia, and anxiety) by exposing the rats to a battery of behavioral tests during adolescence and adulthood. In addition, we carried out molecular analyses on specific brain areas and in the blood. Our results showed that perinatal FLX administration determined age- and sex-dependent effects, with males being more sensitive to prenatal manipulation and manifesting anhedonic-like behavior and females to early postnatal exposure, exhibiting cognitive deficits and a less anxious phenotype. Furthermore, we identified, peripherally and centrally, biological functions altered by perinatal serotonin modulation regardless of the timing of exposure and sex, and other pathways specific for the pathological-like phenotypes. The results presented here provide new insights into potential biomarkers associated with specific behavioral phenotypes that may be useful for broadening knowledge about psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa Gallo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Brivio
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Beatrice Dolci
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Calabrese
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Filipović D, Inderhees J, Korda A, Tadić P, Schwaninger M, Inta D, Borgwardt S. Metabolic Fingerprints of Effective Fluoxetine Treatment in the Prefrontal Cortex of Chronically Socially Isolated Rats: Marker Candidates and Predictive Metabolites. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10957. [PMID: 37446133 PMCID: PMC10341512 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310957] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of depression requires more effective therapy and the understanding of antidepressants' mode of action. We carried out untargeted metabolomics of the prefrontal cortex of rats exposed to chronic social isolation (CSIS), a rat model of depression, and/or fluoxetine treatment using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. The behavioral phenotype was assessed by the forced swim test. To analyze the metabolomics data, we employed univariate and multivariate analysis and biomarker capacity assessment using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We also identified the most predictive biomarkers using a support vector machine with linear kernel (SVM-LK). Upregulated myo-inositol following CSIS may represent a potential marker of depressive phenotype. Effective fluoxetine treatment reversed depressive-like behavior and increased sedoheptulose 7-phosphate, hypotaurine, and acetyl-L-carnitine contents, which were identified as marker candidates for fluoxetine efficacy. ROC analysis revealed 4 significant marker candidates for CSIS group discrimination, and 10 for fluoxetine efficacy. SVM-LK with accuracies of 61.50% or 93.30% identified a panel of 7 or 25 predictive metabolites for depressive-like behavior or fluoxetine effectiveness, respectively. Overall, metabolic fingerprints combined with the ROC curve and SVM-LK may represent a new approach to identifying marker candidates or predictive metabolites for ongoing disease or disease risk and treatment outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragana Filipović
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Julica Inderhees
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany; (J.I.); (M.S.)
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg-Kiel-Lübeck, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
- Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Alexandra Korda
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany;
| | - Predrag Tadić
- School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Markus Schwaninger
- Institute for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany; (J.I.); (M.S.)
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg-Kiel-Lübeck, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dragoš Inta
- Department for Community Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Medicine, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; (D.I.); (S.B.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department for Community Health, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Medicine, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; (D.I.); (S.B.)
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Bhasin H, O'Brien SC, Cordner ZA, Aston SA, Tamashiro KLK, Moran TH. Activity-based anorexia in adolescent female rats causes changes in brain mitochondrial dynamics. Physiol Behav 2023; 261:114072. [PMID: 36599403 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.114072] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality as well as a high rate of relapse. The molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of the disorder or the relapses are largely unknown. Patients with AN have been shown to have increased oxidative stress, but its involvement in the development in the disease is unknown. We have previously shown that adolescent female rats undergoing the activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm also show signs of oxidative stress. Due to their role in the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondria are of high interest in diseases exhibiting oxidative stress. In this study, the impact of ABA on brain mitochondrial dynamics was examined. We found transient changes in the medial prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, and hippocampus following 25% weight loss and changes in the amygdala at a 10-day weight recovery timepoint. These changes point towards damage in the mitochondria contributing to the oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshit Bhasin
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America; Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Shannon C O'Brien
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Zachary A Cordner
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - S Andrew Aston
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Kellie L K Tamashiro
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Timothy H Moran
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.
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