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Sheng JA, Handa RJ, Tobet SA. Evaluating different models of maternal stress on stress-responsive systems in prepubertal mice. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1292642. [PMID: 38130695 PMCID: PMC10733493 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1292642] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Maternal adversity during pregnancy influences neurodevelopment in human and model animal offspring. Adversity can result from stressors coming from many different directions ranging from environmental to nutritional and physiological to immune (e.g., infection). Most stressors result in fetal overexposure to glucocorticoids that have been directly linked to long- and short-term negative impacts on neurological health of offspring. Neuropsychiatric diseases postulated to have fetal origins are diverse and include such things cardiovascular disease, obesity, affective disorders, and metabolic and immune disorders. Methods The experiments in the current study compare 3 stressors: prenatal exposure to dexamethasone (DEX), maternal high fat diet (HFD), and maternal caloric restriction (CR). Offspring of mothers with these treatments were examined prepubertally to evaluate stress responsiveness and stress-related behaviors in in male and female mice. Results Prenatal exposure to synthetic glucocorticoid, DEX, resulted in decreased neonatal body weights, reduced social interaction behavior, and hypoactive stress response offspring exposed to maternal DEX. Maternal CR resulted in decreased body weights and social interaction behavior in males and females and increased anxiety-like behavior and acute stress response only in males. HFD resulted in altered body weight gain in both sex offspring with decreased anxiety-like behavior in a female-biased manner. Discussion The idea that glucocorticoid responses to different stressors might serve as a common stimulus across stress paradigms is insufficient, given that different modes of prenatal stress produced differential effects. Opposite nutritional stressors produced similar outcomes for anxiety-like behavior in both sexes, social-like behavior in females, and a hyperactive adrenal stress response in males. One common theme among the three models of maternal stress (DEX, CR, and HFD) was consistent data showing their role in activating the maternal and fetal immune response. By tuning in on the more immediate immunological aspect on the developing fetus (e.g., hormones, cytokines), additional studies may tease out more direct outcomes of maternal stress in rodents and increase their translational value to human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julietta A. Sheng
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Stuart A. Tobet
- Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Mass General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Mass General Hospital, Cambridge, MA, United States
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2
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Miller AM, Daniels RM, Sheng JA, Wu TJ, Handa RJ. Glucocorticoid regulation of diurnal spine plasticity in the murine ventromedial prefrontal cortex. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13212. [PMID: 36426781 PMCID: PMC10078509 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13212] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) regulates fear acquisition, fear extinction, mood, and HPA axis function. Multiple brain regions exhibit time-of-day dependent variations in learning, long term potentiation (LTP), and dendritic morphology. Glucocorticoids have been implicated in the regulation of dendritic structure in the context of stress. Glucocorticoids are also known to regulate molecular clock entrainment via upregulation of Per1 transcription. In the present study, C57BL/6 N mice were sacrificed at three distinct times of day (ZT3, ZT12, and ZT16, lights off at ZT12) and Per1 mRNA expression was measured in the infralimbic and prelimbic vmPFC subregions using droplet digital (dd) PCR after recovering from adrenalectomy or sham surgery for 10 days. Sham mice showed Per1 rhythmicity in both infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) cortex, with peak expression occurring at ZT12. Adrenalectomized mice showed reductions in Per1 amplitude at ZT12 in both IL and PL, suggesting that the vmPFC molecular clock is entrained by diurnal glucocorticoid oscillations. Thy1-eGFP mice were used to visualize and quantify dendritic spine density on deep layer pyramidal dendrites at ZT 3, 12, and 16. Spine density in both PL and IL exhibited changes between the light (inactive) and dark (active) phases, with peak spine density observed at ZT16 and trough spine density observed at ZT3. These changes in spine density were restricted to changes in long thin and stubby type spines. To determine if changes in spine density is regulated by glucocorticoid oscillations, the 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor metyrapone was administered 2 h prior to the onset of the active phase (ZT10) daily for 7 days. Metyrapone administration blocked both the diurnal peak of plasma corticosterone and peak spine densities in the IL and PL at ZT16. These results suggest that vmPFC molecular clock gene and dendritic spine diurnal rhythms depend on intact diurnal glucocorticoid oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Renata M Daniels
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Julietta A Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - T John Wu
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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3
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Dearing C, Handa RJ, Myers B. Sex differences in autonomic responses to stress: implications for cardiometabolic physiology. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2022; 323:E281-E289. [PMID: 35793480 PMCID: PMC9448273 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00058.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for negative health outcomes. Furthermore, imbalance of autonomic nervous system control leads to dysregulation of physiological responses to stress and contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic and psychiatric disorders. However, research on autonomic stress responses has historically focused on males, despite evidence that females are disproportionality affected by stress-related disorders. Accordingly, this mini-review focuses on the influence of biological sex on autonomic responses to stress in humans and rodent models. The reviewed literature points to sex differences in the consequences of chronic stress, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease. We also explore basic rodent studies of sex-specific autonomic responses to stress with a focus on sex hormones and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic physiology. Ultimately, emerging evidence of sex differences in autonomic-endocrine integration highlights the importance of sex-specific studies to understand and treat cardiometabolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carley Dearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Brent Myers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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4
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Miller L, Bodemeier Loayza Careaga M, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. The Effects of Chronic Variable Stress and Photoperiod Alteration on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Response and Behavior of Mice. Neuroscience 2022; 496:105-118. [PMID: 35700818 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis mediates the physiological response to stressors and also synchronizes different physiological systems to environmental cues. Changes in day length (i.e., photoperiod) as well as chronic exposure to stressors are known to impact the HPA axis activity regulating the levels of glucocorticoid hormones. Over-exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids has been implicated in increased disease risk. In the present study, we examined the impact of chronic stress, using a chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm, in combination with changes in photoperiod on physiological and behavioral measures, as well as on the reactivity and regulation of the HPA axis, in male and female mice. Six weeks of CVS, regardless of the photoperiod condition, decreased the body weight and attenuated the HPA axis reactivity to an acute stressor in both sexes. The attenuated HPA axis reactivity observed in stressed animals was related to reduced Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels in the pituitary of females. The gene expression analyses of key regulators of the HPA axis also indicated a sex-dependent effect with opposite patterns in the pituitary and adrenal glands. CVS effects on behavior were limited and related to an anxiety-like phenotype in both sexes, regardless of photoperiod condition. Our findings highlight sex-specific differences in the HPA axis and also sex-dependent effects of CVS on physiological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Miller
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - T John Wu
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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5
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Handa RJ, Sheng JA, Castellanos EA, Templeton HN, McGivern RF. Sex Differences in Acute Neuroendocrine Responses to Stressors in Rodents and Humans. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2022; 14:a039081. [PMID: 35667789 PMCID: PMC9438783 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in the neuroendocrine response to acute stress occur in both animals and humans. In rodents, stressors such as restraint and novelty induce a greater activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in females compared to males. The nature of this difference arises from steroid actions during development (organizational effects) and adulthood (activational effects). Androgens decrease HPA stress responsivity to acute stress, while estradiol increases it. Androgenic down-regulation of HPA responsiveness is mediated by the binding of testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to the androgen receptor, as well as the binding of the DHT metabolite, 3β-diol, to the β form of the estrogen receptor (ERβ). Estradiol binding to the α form of the estrogen receptor (ERα) increases HPA responsivity. Studies of human sex differences are relatively few and generally employ a psychosocial paradigm to measure stress-related HPA activation. Men consistently show greater HPA reactivity than women when being evaluated for achievement. Some studies have found greater reactivity in women when being evaluated for social performance. The pattern is inconsistent with rodent studies but may involve the differential nature of the stressors employed. Psychosocial stress is nonphysical and invokes a significant degree of top-down processing that is not easily comparable to the types of stressors employed in rodents. Gender identity may also be a factor based on recent work showing that it influences the neural processing of positive and negative emotional stimuli independent of genetic sex. Comparing different types of stressors and how they interact with gender identity and genetic sex will provide a better understanding of sex steroid influences on stress-related HPA reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Julietta A Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Emily A Castellanos
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Hayley N Templeton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA
| | - Robert F McGivern
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92120, USA
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6
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Madhavpeddi L, Hammond B, Carbone DL, Kang P, Handa RJ, Hale TM. Impact of Angiotensin II Antagonism on the Sex-Selective Dysregulation of Cardiovascular Function Induced by In Utero Dexamethasone Exposure. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 322:H597-H606. [PMID: 35179975 PMCID: PMC8934675 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00587.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In utero exposure to glucocorticoids in late gestation programs changes in cardiovascular function. The objective of this study was to determine the degree to which angiotensin II mediates sex-biased changes in autonomic function as well as basal and stress-responsive cardiovascular function following in utero glucocorticoid exposure. Pregnant rats were administered the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX 0.4mg/kg per day, s.c.) or vehicle on gestation days 18-21. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured via radiotelemetry in freely moving, conscious adult rats. To evaluate the impact of stress, rats were placed in a restraint tube for 20 minutes. In a separate cohort of rats, restraint stress was performed before and after chronic treatment with the angiotensin type 1 receptor antagonist, losartan (30mg/kg per day, i.p). Frequency domain analysis of HRV was evaluated, and data integrated into low frequency (LF: 0.20-0.75Hz) and high frequency (HF: 0.75-2.00Hz) bands. Prenatal DEX resulted in an exaggerated pressor and heart rate response to restraint in female offspring that was attenuated by prior losartan treatment. HF power was higher in vehicle-exposed female rats, compared to DEX females. Following losartan, HF power was equivalent between female vehicle and DEX-exposed rats. In utero exposure to DEX produced female-biased alterations in stress-responsive cardiovascular function which may be indicative of a reduction in parasympathetic activity. Moreover, these findings suggest this autonomic dysregulation may be mediated in part by long-term changes in renin-angiotensin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi Madhavpeddi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
| | - Bradley Hammond
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
| | - David L Carbone
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
| | - Paul Kang
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Taben M Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
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7
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Sheng JA, Tan SML, Hale TM, Handa RJ. Androgens and Their Role in Regulating Sex Differences in the Hypothalamic/Pituitary/Adrenal Axis Stress Response and Stress-Related Behaviors. Androg Clin Res Ther 2022; 2:261-274. [PMID: 35024695 PMCID: PMC8744007 DOI: 10.1089/andro.2021.0021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Androgens play a pivotal role during development. These gonadal hormones and their receptors exert organizational actions that shape brain morphology in regions controlling the stress regulatory systems in a male-specific manner. Specifically, androgens drive sex differences in the hypothalamic/pituitary/adrenal (HPA) axis and corresponding hypothalamic neuropeptides. While studies have examined the role of estradiol and its receptors in sex differences in the HPA axis and associated behaviors, the role of androgens remains far less studied. Androgens are generally thought to modulate the HPA axis through the activation of androgen receptors (ARs). They can also impact the HPA axis through reduction to estrogenic metabolites that can bind estrogen receptors in the brain and periphery. Such regulation of the HPA axis stress response by androgens can often result in sex-biased risk factors for stress-related disorders, such as anxiety and depression. This review focuses on the biosynthesis pathways and molecular actions of androgens and their nuclear receptors. The impact of androgens on hypothalamic neuropeptide systems (corticotropin-releasing hormone, arginine vasopressin, oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin) that control the stress response and stress-related disorders is discussed. Finally, this review discusses potential therapeutics involving androgens (androgen replacement therapies, selective AR modulator therapies) and ongoing clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julietta A Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Sarah M L Tan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Taben M Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Science, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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8
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Sheng JA, Heck AL, Miller AM, Bales NJ, Myers SA, Tan SML, Daniels RM, Handa RJ. Age and Parity Effects in the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis’ Response to Multimodal Stress in Female Mice. J Endocr Soc 2021. [PMCID: PMC8090690 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvab048.1082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis responds to environmental perturbations to maintain homeostasis. Pregnancy demands extensive modifications in HPA axis function to prepare for increased energy and metabolic demands required to meet the needs of mother and offspring. Short-term effects of pregnancy on the HPA axis have been shown, but data is lacking regarding the long-term effects in middle-aged female mice no longer breeding. Since changes of the HPA axis are further found with age, in this study, we examined both parity- and age-related interactions on the HPA axis in female mice. Wildtype C57bl/6N females were divided into nulliparous young (NY) (3-6 mo) and nulliparous middle-aged (NM) or multiparous retired-breeder middle-aged (RBM) (8-10 mo) groups. RBM mice were killed at least 4 weeks after their last litter was weaned. Control mice were euthanized directly out of the home cage and experimental groups were euthanized at 0 min, 30 min, or 90 min recovery (n=8-10/ group) after 2h of multi-modal stress (MMS; restraint, noise, shaker, light). (Paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) neuronal activity was quantified by c-FOS immunoreactivity (-ir), and plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA was assayed by in situ hybridization. Two-way ANOVA showed effects of age (p<0.0248), parity (p<0.0021), time (p<0.0001), and interaction (p<0.0009) on CORT levels. Specifically, basal CORT levels were reduced in NM/RBM versus NY mice. In all groups, CORT levels were significantly elevated by MMS. There was no difference between CORT levels immediately after MMS in NY or NM groups, but CORT levels after 30- and 90- min recovery from MMS remained elevated in NM, indicating reduced negative feedback with age. Additionally, RBM plasma CORT was further reduced in all time groups versus NM, accompanied by a return to baseline CORT after 90 min recovery, suggesting a parity-dependent effect on the HPA axis. Changes in CORT levels were correlated with c-FOS-ir. MMS increased PVN c-FOS-ir in all groups compared to controls and c-FOS-ir in NM was significantly greater than PVN c-FOS of RBM. Further, while c-FOS-ir in the NY females was reduced to baseline 30 min after MMS, the return to baseline was more gradual in NM. No effect of parity or age was seen in Crh mRNA. Collectively, our findings show that activation of the HPA axis in females involves interactions between age- and parity- dependent function. Our findings further show activation and inhibition of the HPA axis in females involving long-term changes that occur after pregnancy, which may increase risk for stress- or postpartum- related disorders. Supported by NIDDK 1-R01 DK105826
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sage A Myers
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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9
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Huang G, Aroner SA, Bay CP, Gilman SE, Ghassabian A, Loucks EB, Buka SL, Handa RJ, Lasley BL, Bhasin S, Goldstein JM. Sex-dependent associations of maternal androgen levels with offspring BMI and weight trajectory from birth to early childhood. J Endocrinol Invest 2021; 44:851-863. [PMID: 32776198 PMCID: PMC7873156 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-020-01385-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT In preclinical studies, high androgen levels during pregnancy are associated with low birth weight and rapid postnatal weight gain in the offspring. However, human data linking prenatal androgens with birth weight and early life weight gain in the offspring are scarce. DESIGN We evaluated 516 mother-child pairs enrolled in the New England birth cohorts of the Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1966). We assayed androgen bioactivity in maternal sera during third-trimester using a receptor-mediated luciferase expression bioassay. Age and sex-specific BMI Z-scores (BMIz), defined using established standards, were assessed at birth, 4 months, 1 year, 4 years, and 7 years. We used linear mixed models to evaluate the relation of maternal androgens with childhood BMIz overall and by sex. We examined the association of maternal androgens with fetal growth restriction. The association of weight trajectories with maternal androgens was examined using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS Higher maternal androgen levels associated with lower BMIz at birth (β = - 0.39, 95% CI: - 0.73, - 0.06); this relation was sex-dependent, such that maternal androgens significantly associated with BMIz at birth in girls alone (β = - 0.72, 95% CI: - 1.40, - 0.04). The relation of maternal androgens with fetal growth restriction revealed dose threshold effects that differed by sex. There was no significant association between maternal androgens and weight trajectory overall. However, we found a significant sex interaction (p = 0.01); higher maternal androgen levels associated with accelerated catch-up growth in boys (aOR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.14, 4.03). CONCLUSION Our findings provide evidence that maternal androgens may have differential effects on the programming of intrauterine growth and postnatal weight gain depending on fetal sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Huang
- Section of Men's Health, Aging and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - S A Aroner
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - C P Bay
- Center for Clinical Investigation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - S E Gilman
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A Ghassabian
- Departments of Pediatrics, Environmental Medicine, and Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - E B Loucks
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - S L Buka
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - R J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - B L Lasley
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Center for Health and the Environment, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Center for Health and the Environment, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - S Bhasin
- Section of Men's Health, Aging and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J M Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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10
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Holsen LM, Huang G, Cherkerzian S, Aroner S, Loucks EB, Buka S, Handa RJ, Goldstein JM. Sex Differences in Hemoglobin A1c Levels Related to the Comorbidity of Obesity and Depression. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2021; 30:1303-1312. [PMID: 33534642 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Obesity (OB) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are chronic conditions associated with disease burden, and their comorbidity appears more common among women. Mechanisms linking these conditions may involve inflammatory and metabolic pathways. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of MDD on relationships between OB and cardiometabolic function, and sex differences therein. Materials and Methods: Adult offspring from the New England Family Studies (NEFS) were assessed at ages 39-50, including anthropometry, cardiometabolic profile assays, and metabolic syndrome. Individuals were grouped by body mass index (BMI) and MDD status: healthy weight with (n = 50) or without MDD (n = 95) and obese with (n = 79) or without MDD (n = 131). The interaction of (recurrent) MDD and BMI on cardiometabolic markers was tested using quantile regression models. Results: Participants with MDD exhibited significantly higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) than those without MDD (5.60% vs. 5.35%, p < 0.05). Women with comorbid recurrent MDD and OB had higher HbA1c levels compared to obese women without MDD (5.75% vs. 5.44%, p < 0.05); an interaction between MDD and BMI status was not observed among men. Conclusions: We demonstrated sex differences in the interaction between BMI and recurrent MDD status on a primary biomarker for diabetes risk, suggesting a common metabolic pathway predisposing women to these comorbid conditions. Further investigation is needed to identify mechanisms that may lead to more effective, sex-dependent screening and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Holsen
- Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Grace Huang
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sara Cherkerzian
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah Aroner
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eric B Loucks
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Steve Buka
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.,Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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11
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Russell AL, Miller L, Yi H, Keil R, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Knockout of the circadian gene, Per2, disrupts corticosterone secretion and results in depressive-like behaviors and deficits in startle responses. BMC Neurosci 2021; 22:5. [PMID: 33509094 PMCID: PMC7841886 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-020-00607-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Period Circadian Regulator 2 (Per2) gene is important for the modulation of circadian rhythms that influence biological processes. Circadian control of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is critical for regulation of hormones involved in the stress response. Dysregulation of the HPA axis is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, it is important to understand how disruption of the circadian rhythm alters the HPA axis. One way to address this question is to delete a gene involved in regulating a central circadian gene such as Per2 in an animal model and to determine how this deletion may affect the HPA axis and behaviors that are altered when the HPA axis is dysregulated. To study this, corticosterone (CORT) levels were measured through the transition from light (inactive phase) to dark (active phase). Additionally, CORT levels as well as pituitary and adrenal mRNA expression were measured following a mild restraint stress. Mice were tested for depressive-like behaviors (forced swim test (FST)), acoustic startle response (ASR), and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI). Results The present results showed that Per2 knockout impacted CORT levels, mRNA expression, depressive-like behaviors, ASR and PPI. Unlike wild-type (WT) mice, Per2 knockout (Per2) mice showed no diurnal rise in CORT levels at the onset of the dark cycle. Per2−/− mice had enhanced CORT levels and adrenal melanocortin receptor 2 (Mc2R) mRNA expression following restraint. There were no changes in expression of any other pituitary or adrenal gene. In the FST, Per2−/− mice spent more time floating (less time struggling) than WT mice, suggesting increased depressive-like behaviors. Per2−/− mice had deficits in ASR and PPI startle responses compared to WT mice. Conclusions In summary, these findings showed that disruption of the circadian system via Per2 gene deletion dysregulated the HPA stress axis and is subsequently correlated with increased depressive-like behaviors and deficits in startle response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.,Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lauren Miller
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Hannah Yi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Rita Keil
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - T John Wu
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. .,Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. .,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.
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12
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Sheng JA, Bales NJ, Myers SA, Bautista AI, Roueinfar M, Hale TM, Handa RJ. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: Development, Programming Actions of Hormones, and Maternal-Fetal Interactions. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 14:601939. [PMID: 33519393 PMCID: PMC7838595 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.601939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is a complex system of neuroendocrine pathways and feedback loops that function to maintain physiological homeostasis. Abnormal development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis can further result in long-term alterations in neuropeptide and neurotransmitter synthesis in the central nervous system, as well as glucocorticoid hormone synthesis in the periphery. Together, these changes can potentially lead to a disruption in neuroendocrine, behavioral, autonomic, and metabolic functions in adulthood. In this review, we will discuss the regulation of the HPA axis and its development. We will also examine the maternal-fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and disruption of the normal fetal environment which becomes a major risk factor for many neurodevelopmental pathologies in adulthood, such as major depressive disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, and others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julietta A. Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Natalie J. Bales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Sage A. Myers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Anna I. Bautista
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Mina Roueinfar
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Taben M. Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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13
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Oyola MG, Johnson RC, Bauman BM, Frey KG, Russell AL, Cho‐Clark M, Buban KN, Bishop‐Lilly KA, Merrell DS, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Gut microbiota and metabolic marker alteration following dietary isoflavone-photoperiod interaction. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2021; 4:e00190. [PMID: 33532621 PMCID: PMC7831223 DOI: 10.1002/edm2.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The interaction between isoflavones and the gut microbiota has been highlighted as a potential regulator of obesity and diabetes. In this study, we examined the interaction between isoflavones and a shortened activity photoperiod on the gut microbiome. Methods Male mice were exposed to a diet containing no isoflavones (NIF) or a regular diet (RD) containing the usual isoflavones level found in a standard vivarium chow. These groups were further divided into regular (12L:12D) or short active (16L:8D) photoperiod, which mimics seasonal changes observed at high latitudes. White adipose tissue and genes involved in lipid metabolism and adipogenesis processes were analysed. Bacterial genomic DNA was isolated from fecal boli, and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was performed. Results NIF diet increased body weight and adipocyte size when compared to mice on RD. The lack of isoflavones and photoperiod alteration also caused dysregulation of lipoprotein lipase (Lpl), glucose transporter type 4 (Glut-4) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparg) genes. Using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, we found that mice fed the NIF diet had a greater proportion of Firmicutes than Bacteroidetes when compared to animals on the RD. These alterations were accompanied by changes in the endocrine profile, with lower thyroid-stimulating hormone levels in the NIF group compared to the RD. Interestingly, the NIF group displayed increased locomotion as compared to the RD group. Conclusion Together, these data show an interaction between the gut bacterial communities, photoperiod length and isoflavone compounds, which may be essential for understanding and improving metabolic health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G. Oyola
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military MedicineBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Ryan C. Johnson
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military MedicineBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Bradly M. Bauman
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Kenneth G. Frey
- Genomics and Bioinformatics DepartmentBiological Defense Research DirectorateNaval Medical Research Center – FrederickFort DetrickMDUSA
| | - Ashley L. Russell
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Madelaine Cho‐Clark
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Katelyn N. Buban
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military MedicineBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Kimberly A. Bishop‐Lilly
- Genomics and Bioinformatics DepartmentBiological Defense Research DirectorateNaval Medical Research Center – FrederickFort DetrickMDUSA
- Program in Emerging Infectious DiseasesUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | - D. Scott Merrell
- Program in Emerging Infectious DiseasesUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Biomedical SciencesColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCOUSA
| | - T. John Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesdaMDUSA
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14
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Oyola MG, Johnson RC, Bauman BM, Frey KG, Russell AL, Cho‐Clark M, Buban KN, Bishop‐Lilly KA, Merrell DS, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Cover Image. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/edm2.232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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15
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Zuloaga DG, Heck AL, De Guzman RM, Handa RJ. Roles for androgens in mediating the sex differences of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Biol Sex Differ 2020; 11:44. [PMID: 32727567 PMCID: PMC7388454 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-020-00319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [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] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Estradiol and testosterone are powerful steroid hormones that impact brain function in numerous ways. During development, these hormones can act to program the adult brain in a male or female direction. During adulthood, gonadal steroid hormones can activate or inhibit brain regions to modulate adult functions. Sex differences in behavioral and neuroendocrine (i.e., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis) responses to stress arise as a result of these organizational and activational actions. The sex differences that are present in the HPA and behavioral responses to stress are particularly important considering their role in maintaining homeostasis. Furthermore, dysregulation of these systems can underlie the sex biases in risk for complex, stress-related diseases that are found in humans. Although many studies have explored the role of estrogen and estrogen receptors in mediating sex differences in stress-related behaviors and HPA function, much less consideration has been given to the role of androgens. While circulating androgens can act by binding and activating androgen receptors, they can also act by metabolism to estrogenic molecules to impact estrogen signaling in the brain and periphery. This review focuses on androgens as an important hormone for modulating the HPA axis and behaviors throughout life and for setting up sex differences in key stress regulatory systems that could impact risk for disease in adulthood. In particular, impacts of androgens on neuropeptide systems known to play key roles in HPA and behavioral responses to stress (corticotropin-releasing factor, vasopressin, and oxytocin) are discussed. A greater knowledge of androgen action in the brain is key to understanding the neurobiology of stress in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
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Heck AL, Sheng JA, Miller AM, Stover SA, Bales NJ, Tan SML, Daniels RM, Fleury TK, Handa RJ. Social isolation alters hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activity after chronic variable stress in male C57BL/6 mice. Stress 2020; 23:457-465. [PMID: 32093522 PMCID: PMC7376957 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1733962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm is frequently used to model the changes in hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis function characteristic of many stress-related diseases. However, male C57BL/6 mice are typically resistant to CVS's effects, making it difficult to determine how chronic stress exposure may alter acute HPA function and regulation in these mice. As social support in rodents can profoundly influence physiological and behavioral processes, including the HPA axis, we sought to characterize the effects of CVS exposure on basal and acute stress-induced HPA axis function in pair- and single-housed adult male mice. Despite all subjects exhibiting decreased body weight gain after six weeks of CVS, the corticosterone response to a novel, acute restraint stressor was enhanced by CVS exclusively in single-housed males. CVS also significantly increased arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in single-housed males only. Moreover, in single-, but not pair-housed mice, CVS attenuated decreases in circulating OT found following acute restraint. Only the effect of CVS to elevate PVN corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA levels after an acute stressor was restricted to pair-housed mice. Collectively, our findings suggest that social isolation reveals effects of CVS on the HPA axis in male C57BL/6 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Julietta A Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Alex M Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sally A Stover
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Natalie J Bales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sarah M L Tan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Renata M Daniels
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Theodore K Fleury
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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17
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Robert J Handa
- University of Arizona: COM-Phoenix
- Colorado State University
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18
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Heck AL, Thompson MK, Uht RM, Handa RJ. Sex-Dependent Mechanisms of Glucocorticoid Regulation of the Mouse Hypothalamic Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Gene. Endocrinology 2020; 161:bqz012. [PMID: 31754709 PMCID: PMC7188085 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqz012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To limit excessive glucocorticoid secretion following hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stimulation, circulating glucocorticoids inhibit corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons. As HPA function differs between sexes and depends on circulating estradiol (E2) levels in females, we investigated sex/estrous stage-dependent glucocorticoid regulation of PVN Crh. Using NanoString nCounter technology, we first demonstrated that adrenalectomized (ADX'd) diestrous female (low E2), but not male or proestrous female (high E2), mice exhibited a robust decrease in PVN CRH mRNA following 2-day treatment with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonist RU28362. Immunohistochemical analysis of PVN CRH neurons in Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai14 mice, where TdTomato fluorescence permanently tags CRH-expressing neurons, showed similarly abundant co-expression of GR-immunoreactivity in males, diestrous females, and proestrous females. However, we identified sex/estrous stage-related glucocorticoid regulation or expression of GR transcriptional coregulators. Out of 17 coregulator genes examined using nCounter multiplex analysis, mRNAs that were decreased by RU28362 in ADX'd mice in a sex/estrous stage-dependent fashion included: GR (males = diestrous females > proestrous females), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) (males < diestrous = proestrous), and HDAC1 (males < diestrous > proestrous). Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3), nuclear corepressor 1 (NCoR1), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnrnpu), CREB binding protein (CBP) and CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 2 (CRTC2) mRNAs were lower in ADX'd diestrous and proestrous females versus males. Additionally, most PVN CRH neurons co-expressed methylated CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2)-immunoreactivity in diestrous female and male Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai14 mice. Our findings collectively suggest that GR's sex-dependent regulation of PVN Crh may depend upon differences in the GR transcriptional machinery and an underlying influence of E2 levels in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Maranda K Thompson
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Rosalie M Uht
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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19
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Borrow AP, Heck AL, Miller AM, Sheng JA, Stover SA, Daniels RM, Bales NJ, Fleury TK, Handa RJ. Chronic variable stress alters hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in the female mouse. Physiol Behav 2019; 209:112613. [PMID: 31299374 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress is often associated with a dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which can greatly increase risk for a number of stress-related diseases, including neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite a striking sex-bias in the prevalence of many of these disorders, few preclinical studies have examined female subjects. Hence, the present study aimed to explore the effects of chronic stress on the basal and acute stress-induced activity of the HPA axis in the female C57BL/6 mouse. We used a chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm in these studies, which successfully induces physiological and behavioral changes that are similar to those reported for some patients with mood disorders. Using this model, we found pronounced, time-dependent effects of chronic stress on the HPA axis. CVS-treated females exhibited adrenal hypertrophy, yet their pattern of glucocorticoid secretion in the morning resembled that of controls. CVS-treated and control females had similar morning basal corticosterone (CORT) levels, which were both significantly elevated following a restraint stressor. Although morning basal gene expression of the key HPA-controlling neuropeptides corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) was unaltered within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) by CVS, CVS altered the PVN OT and AVP mRNA responses to acute restraint. In control females, acute stress decreased AVP, but not OT mRNA; whereas, in CVS females, it decreased OT, but not, AVP mRNA. Unlike the morning pattern of HPA activity, in the evening, CVS-treated females showed increased basal CORT with hypoactive responses of CORT and PVN c-Fos immunoreactivity to restraint stress. Furthermore, CVS elevated evening PVN CRH and OT mRNAs in the PVN, but it did not influence anxiety- or depressive-like behavior after a light/dark box or tail suspension test. Taken together, these findings indicate that CVS is an effective model for HPA axis dysregulation in the female mouse and may be relevant for stress-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P Borrow
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Alex M Miller
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Julietta A Sheng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Sally A Stover
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Renata M Daniels
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Natalie J Bales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Theodore K Fleury
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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20
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Heck AL, Handa RJ. Androgens Drive Sex Biases in Hypothalamic Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Gene Expression After Adrenalectomy of Mice. Endocrinology 2019; 160:1757-1770. [PMID: 31074799 PMCID: PMC6594463 DOI: 10.1210/en.2019-00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Although prominent sex differences exist in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis's response to stressors, few studies of its regulation in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) have compared both male and female subjects. In this study, we sought to explore sex differences in the acute regulation of PVN neuropeptide expression following glucocorticoid (GC) removal and the underlying role of gonadal hormones. We first examined the effects of short-term adrenalectomy (ADX) on PVN Crh and arginine vasopressin (Avp) expression in mice using in situ hybridization. ADX increased PVN AVP mRNA levels in both sexes. In contrast, PVN CRH mRNA was increased by 2 days after ADX in males only. Both sexes showed increases in CRH mRNA after 4 days. To determine if gonadal hormones contributed to this sex bias, we examined adrenalectomized (ADX'd) and gonadectomized (GDX'd) mice with or without gonadal hormone replacement. Unlike the pattern in intact animals, 2 days following ADX/gonadectomy, CRH mRNA levels did not increase in either sex. When males were given DHT propionate, CRH mRNA levels increased in ADX'd/GDX'd males similar to those observed following ADX alone. To determine a potential mechanism, we examined the coexpression of androgen receptor (AR) immunoreactivity and CRH neurons. Abundant colocalization was found in the anteroventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis but not the PVN. Thus, our findings reveal a sex difference in PVN Crh expression following the removal of GC-negative feedback that may depend on indirect AR actions in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Correspondence: Robert J. Handa, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. E-mail:
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21
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Bauman BM, Buban KN, Russell AL, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Isoflavones Alter Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Response Following Photoperiod Alteration. Neuroscience 2019; 406:268-277. [PMID: 30880102 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Photoperiod and diet are factors known to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Specifically, shifts in photoperiod have been previously linked with affective and anxiety disorders. Furthermore, isoflavones have been shown to mediate behavioral outcome in response to the environment of the animal. Here, we investigated the effect of photoperiod alteration on the HPA axis and how the addition of isoflavones might modulate the response to stress. Male C57BL/6J mice were maintained on either a 12:12 or a 16:8 light-dark (LD) cycle for 10 days, and fed a diet of either standard rodent chow or an isoflavone free (IF) chow beginning 3 weeks prior to light alteration. Consistent with previous work, mice in the shorter active period (16:8 LD cycle) showed increased basal corticosterone (CORT) secretion. In the absence of isoflavones, this response was attenuated. Increases in mineralcorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptor mRNA expression were seen in the pituitary following photoperiod alteration. However, animals fed the standard isoflavone rich chow showed increases in the ratio of MR:GR mRNA in the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis following photoperiod alteration. Decreases in corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) mRNA expression were seen in animals fed the IF chow in the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus. These data suggest that alterations in CORT secretion following photoperiod alteration may be mediated through differences in CRFR1 gene expression or changes in MR:GR mRNA ratios. These findings provide insight into the potential mechanisms by which the HPA axis adapts to photoperiod and diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradly M Bauman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Katelyn N Buban
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ashley L Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Division, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - T John Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA; Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Heck AL, Handa RJ. Sex differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis' response to stress: an important role for gonadal hormones. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:45-58. [PMID: 30111811 PMCID: PMC6235871 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0167-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 228] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.6] [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: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a neuroendocrine network that controls hormonal responses to internal and external challenges in an organism's environment, exhibits strikingly sex-biased activity. In adult female rodents, acute HPA function following a stressor is markedly greater than it is in males, and this difference has largely been attributed to modulation by the gonadal hormones testosterone and estradiol. These gonadal hormones are produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and have been shown to determine sex differences in adult HPA function after acute stress via their activational and organizational effects. Although these actions of gonadal hormones are well supported, the possibility that sex chromosomes similarly influence HPA activity is unexplored. Moreover, questions remain regarding sex differences in the activity of the HPA axis following chronic stress and the underlying contributions of gonadal hormones and sex chromosomes. The present review examines what is currently known about sex differences in the neuroendocrine response to stress, as well as outstanding questions regarding this sex bias. Although it primarily focuses on the rodent literature, a brief discussion of sex differences in the human HPA axis is also included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L. Heck
- 0000 0004 1936 8083grid.47894.36Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA
| | - Robert J. Handa
- 0000 0004 1936 8083grid.47894.36Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA
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Goldstein JM, Hale T, Foster SL, Tobet SA, Handa RJ. Sex differences in major depression and comorbidity of cardiometabolic disorders: impact of prenatal stress and immune exposures. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:59-70. [PMID: 30030541 PMCID: PMC6235859 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0146-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder topped ischemic heart disease as the number one cause of disability worldwide in 2012, and women have twice the risk of men. Further, the comorbidity of depression and cardiometabolic disorders will be one of the primary causes of disability worldwide by 2020, with women at twice the risk. Thus, understanding the sex-dependent comorbidities has public health consequences worldwide. We propose here that sex differences in MDD-cardiometabolic comorbidity originate, in part, from pathogenic processes initiated in fetal development that involve sex differences in shared pathophysiology between the brain, the vascular system, the CNS control of the heart and associated hormonal, immune, and metabolic physiology. Pathways implicate neurotrophic and angiogenic growth factors, gonadal hormone receptors, and neurotransmitters such as gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) on neuronal and vascular development of HPA axis regions, such as the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), in addition to blood pressure, in part through the renin-angiotensin system, and insulin and glucose metabolism. We show that the same prenatal exposures have consequences for sex differences across multiple organ systems that, in part, share common pathophysiology. Thus, we believe that applying a sex differences lens to understanding shared biologic substrates underlying these comorbidities will provide novel insights into the development of sex-dependent therapeutics. Further, taking a lifespan perspective beginning in fetal development provides the opportunity to target abnormalities early in the natural history of these disorders in a sex-dependent way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Goldstein
- Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, 02120, USA.
- Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Taben Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Science, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Simmie L Foster
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stuart A Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Science, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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Huang G, Cherkerzian S, Loucks EB, Buka SL, Handa RJ, Lasley BL, Bhasin S, Goldstein JM. Sex Differences in the Prenatal Programming of Adult Metabolic Syndrome by Maternal Androgens. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018; 103:3945-3953. [PMID: 30113645 PMCID: PMC6182312 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Growing preclinical evidence suggests that hormonal programming by androgens in utero may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk in adult offspring. However, the effect of prenatal androgens on cardiometabolic outcomes in the human population, especially their potential differential impact on male vs female offspring, has not been well studied. DESIGN Adult offspring (n = 274) of mothers enrolled in the New England birth cohorts of the Collaborative Perinatal Project were assessed at ages 39 to 50. Androgen bioactivity was measured in maternal serum during the third trimester using a receptor-mediated luciferase expression bioassay. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) using Adult Treatment Panel III criteria was assessed in adult offspring. Bioactive androgens were analyzed as quartiles, with the lowest quartile (Q1) defined as the reference. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationship of maternal bioactive androgens on offspring MetS risk overall and by sex, controlling for potential confounders and intrafamilial correlation. RESULTS Mean age and body mass index of adult offspring were 44.7 ± 2.6 years and 29.7 ± 6.7 kg/m2, respectively. Participants born to mothers with the highest quartile (Q4) compared with Q1 of bioactive androgens had higher risk for MetS [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.53(1.07 to 6.02)]. Stratified by sex, this association was found to be significant among women [Q4 vs Q1; aOR: 4.06 (1.10 to 14.93)] but not men [Q4 vs Q1; aOR: 1.67 (0.53 to 5.26)]. Women born to mothers with the highest levels of maternal bioactive androgens also demonstrated a 4.84-fold increased odds for having hypertension [Q4 vs Q1; aOR: 4.84 (1.12 to 20.85)]. CONCLUSION Higher levels of maternal androgens were associated with increased risk for incident MetS in adult offspring, an effect that was significant in women but not men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Huang
- Research Program in Men’s Health: Aging and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Grace Huang, MD, Section on Men’s Health, Aging and Metabolism, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 221 Longwood Avenue, BLI-541, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. E-mail:
| | - Sara Cherkerzian
- Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eric B Loucks
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Stephen L Buka
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Bill L Lasley
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Center for Health and the Environment, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - Shalender Bhasin
- Research Program in Men’s Health: Aging and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Russell AL, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Sex-Dependent Effects of Mild Blast-induced Traumatic Brain Injury on Corticotropin-releasing Factor Receptor Gene Expression: Potential Link to Anxiety-like Behaviors. Neuroscience 2018; 392:1-12. [PMID: 30248435 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 1.7 million people in the United States every year, resulting in increased risk of death and disabilities. A significant portion of TBIs experienced by military personnel are induced by explosive blast devices. Active duty military personnel are especially vulnerable to mild blast-induced (mb)TBI and the associated long-term effects, such as anxiety disorders. Additionally, females are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with anxiety-related disorders. The mechanism by which mbTBI results in anxiety disorders in males and females is unknown. The sexually dimorphic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a brain signaling system linked to anxiety. CRF and its family of related peptides modulate anxiety-related behaviors by binding to CRF receptor subtypes 1 and 2 (CRFR1, CRFR2, respectively). These receptors are distributed throughout limbic structures that control behaviors related to emotion, memory, and arousal. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the link between mbTBI and anxiety by examining the impact of mbTBI on the CRFR system in male and female mice. mbTBI increased anxiety-like behaviors in both males and females (p < 0.05). In the present study, mbTBI did not alter CRFR1 gene expression in males or females. However, mbTBI disrupted CRFR2 gene expression in different limbic structures in males and females. In males, mbTBI increased baseline CRFR2 gene expression in the ventral hippocampus (p < 0.05) and decreased restraint-induced expression in the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (aBNST) and amygdala (p < 0.05). In females, mbTBI decreased restraint-induced CRFR2 gene expression in the dorsal hippocampus (p < 0.05). The inherent sex differences and the mbTBI-induced decrease in restraint-induced CRFR2 gene expression may contribute to anxiety-like behaviors. The results of the present study show that the response to mbTBI within the limbic structures modulates anxiety in a sex-dependent manner. The studies further suggest that CRFR2 may serve as a potential target to mitigate mbTBI effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - T John Wu
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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26
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Foradori CD, Healy JE, Zimmerman AD, Kemppainen RJ, Jones MA, Read CC, White BD, Yi KD, Hinds LR, Lacagnina AF, Quihuis AM, Breckenridge CB, Handa RJ. Characterization of Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis by the Herbicide Atrazine in the Female Rat. Endocrinology 2018; 159:3378-3388. [PMID: 30060079 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Atrazine (ATR) is a commonly used pre-emergence and early postemergence herbicide. Rats gavaged with ATR and its chlorometabolites desethylatrazine (DEA) and deisopropylatrazine (DIA) respond with a rapid and dose-dependent rise in plasma corticosterone, whereas the major chlorometabolite, diaminochlorotriazine (DACT), has little or no effect on corticosterone levels. In this study, we investigated the possible sites of ATR activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. ATR treatment had no effect on adrenal weights but altered adrenal morphology. Hypophysectomized rats or rats under dexamethasone suppression did not respond to ATR treatment, suggesting that ATR does not directly stimulate the adrenal gland to induce corticosterone synthesis. Immortalized mouse corticotrophs (AtT-20) and primary rat pituitary cultures were treated with ATR, DEA, DIA, or DACT. None of the compounds induced an increase in ACTH secretion or potentiated ACTH release in conjunction with CRH on ACTH release. In female rats gavaged with ATR, pretreatment with the CRH receptor antagonist astressin completely blocked the ATR-induced rise in corticosterone concentrations, implicating CRH release in ATR-induced HPA activation. Intracerebroventricular infusion of ATR, DEA, and DIA but not DACT at concentrations equivalent to peak plasma concentrations after gavage dosing resulted in an elevation of plasma corticosterone concentrations. However, ATR did not induce c-Fos immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. These results indicate that ATR activates the HPA axis centrally and requires CRH receptor activation, but it does not stimulate cellular pathways associated with CRH neuronal excitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad D Foradori
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Jessica E Healy
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Arthur D Zimmerman
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Robert J Kemppainen
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Melaney A Jones
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Casey C Read
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - B Douglas White
- Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Kun Don Yi
- Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - Laura R Hinds
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Anthony F Lacagnina
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Alicia M Quihuis
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
| | | | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine-Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona
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Borrow AP, Bales NJ, Stover SA, Handa RJ. Chronic Variable Stress Induces Sex-Specific Alterations in Social Behavior and Neuropeptide Expression in the Mouse. Endocrinology 2018; 159:2803-2814. [PMID: 29788320 PMCID: PMC6692887 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stressors impairs the function of multiple organ systems and has been implicated in increased disease risk. In the rodent, the chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm has successfully modeled several stress-related illnesses. Despite striking disparities between men and women in the prevalence and etiology of disorders associated with chronic stress, most preclinical research examining chronic stressor exposure has focused on male subjects. One potential mediator of the consequences of CVS is oxytocin (OT), a known regulator of stress neurocircuitry and behavior. To ascertain the sex-specific effects of CVS in the C57BL/6 mouse on OT and the structurally similar neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP), the numbers of immunoreactive and mRNA-containing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) were determined using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. In addition, the mice underwent a battery of behavioral tests to determine whether CVS affects social behaviors known to be regulated by OT and AVP. Six weeks of CVS increased sociability in the female mouse and decreased PVN OT immunoreactivity (ir) and AVP mRNA. In the male mice, CVS decreased PVN OT mRNA but had no effect on social behavior, AVP, or OT-ir. CVS also increased the soma volume for PVN OT neurons. In contrast, OT and AVP neurons in the SON were unaffected by CVS treatment. These findings demonstrate clear sex differences in the effects of CVS on neuropeptides in the mouse, suggest a pathway through which CVS alters sociability and stress-coping responses in females and reveals a vulnerability to CVS in the C57BL/6 mouse strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P Borrow
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Natalie J Bales
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Sally A Stover
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Correspondence: Robert J. Handa, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523. E-mail:
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28
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Russell AL, Richardson MR, Bauman BM, Hernandez IM, Saperstein S, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. Differential Responses of the HPA Axis to Mild Blast Traumatic Brain Injury in Male and Female Mice. Endocrinology 2018; 159:2363-2375. [PMID: 29701827 DOI: 10.1210/en.2018-00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 10 million people worldwide, annually. TBI is linked to increased risk of psychiatric disorders. TBI, induced by explosive devices, has a unique phenotype. Over one-third of people exposed to blast-induced TBI (bTBI) have prolonged neuroendocrine deficits, shown by anterior pituitary dysfunction. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is linked to increased risk for psychiatric disorders. Not only is there limited information on how the HPA axis responds to mild bTBI (mbTBI), sex differences are understudied. We examined central and peripheral HPA axis reactivity, 7 to 10 days after mbTBI in male and female mice. Males exposed to mbTBI had increased restraint-induced serum corticosterone (CORT), but attenuated restraint-induced corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)/c-Fos-immunoreactivity (ir) in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Females displayed an opposite response, with attenuated restraint-induced CORT and enhanced restraint-induced PVN CRF/c-Fos-ir. We examined potential mechanisms underlying this dysregulation and found that mbTBI did not affect pituitary (pro-opiomelanocortin and CRF receptor subtype 1) or adrenal (11β-hydroxylase, 11β-dehydrogenase 1, and melanocortin 2 receptor) gene expression. mbTBI did not alter mineralocorticoid or glucocorticoid gene expression in the PVN or relevant limbic structures. In females, but not males, mbTBI decreased c-Fos-ir in non-neuroendocrine (presumably preautonomic) CRF neurons in the PVN. Whereas we demonstrated a sex-dependent link to stress dysregulation of preautonomic neurons in females, we hypothesize that mbTBI may disrupt limbic pathways involved in HPA axis coordination in males. Overall, mbTBI altered the HPA axis in a sex-dependent manner, highlighting the importance of developing therapies to target individual strategies that males and females use to cope with mbTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - M Riley Richardson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Bradly M Bauman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ian M Hernandez
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Samantha Saperstein
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - T John Wu
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
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29
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Breckenridge CB, Foradori CD, Coder PS, Simpkins JW, Sielken RL, Handa RJ. Changes in Sensitivity to the Effects of Atrazine on the Luteinizing Hormone Surge in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats after Repeated Daily Doses: Correlation with Liver Enzyme Expression. Birth Defects Res 2018; 110:246-258. [PMID: 29134775 PMCID: PMC5884089 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atrazine suppression of the LH surge slowly develops over time and peaks after 4 days; sensitivity to atrazine decreases after 8 or 14 days of dosing. Adaptation of the LH response was correlated with increased phase I and phase II liver enzyme activity/expression. METHODS The effect of atrazine on the LH surge was evaluated in female Sprague-Dawley rats administered 100 mg/kg/day atrazine by gavage for 1, 2, 3, or 4 consecutive days or 6.5, 50, or 100 mg/kg/day atrazine for 4, 8, or 14 days. RESULTS No statistically significant effects of atrazine were seen on peak plasma LH or LH area under the curve (AUC) after one, two, or three doses of 100 mg/kg/day. Four daily doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg atrazine significantly reduced peak LH and LH AUCs, whereas 6.5 mg/kg/day had no effect. After 8 or 14 days of treatment, statistically significantly reduced peak LH and LH AUC were observed in the 100 mg/kg/day dose group, but not in the 6.5 or 50 mg/kg/day dose groups, although significantly reduced LH was observed in one sample 9 hr after lights-on in the 50 mg/kg/day dose group on day 14. The number of days of treatment required to achieve a significant suppression of the LH surge is consistent with the repeat-dose pharmacokinetics of the chlorotriazines. CONCLUSION The apparent adaptation to the effect of atrazine on the LH surge after 8 or 14 days may be related to the induction of phase I or, more likely, phase II metabolism observed in this study after 8 days, or to a decreased sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis or an homeostatic adaption of the effect of atrazine on the LH surge mechanism. Birth Defects Research 110:246-258, 2018. © 2017 The Authors. Birth Defects Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chad D. Foradori
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | | | - James W. Simpkins
- Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
| | | | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
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30
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Frahm KA, Handa RJ, Tobet SA. Embryonic Exposure to Dexamethasone Affects Nonneuronal Cells in the Adult Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus. J Endocr Soc 2017; 2:140-153. [PMID: 29383333 PMCID: PMC5789044 DOI: 10.1210/js.2017-00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) integrate peripheral signals and coordinate responses that maintain numerous homeostatic functions. An excess of glucocorticoids during fetal development results in long-lasting consequences tied to disrupted PVN development. The PVN contains a distinct neuronal population and a threefold greater vascular density than the surrounding brain regions that prepubertally is reduced in offspring exposed to excess glucocorticoids in utero. This study expands the examination of sex-specific nonneuronal PVN composition by examining astrocytes, astrocytic endfeet, and pericytes. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) competency and composition were examined along with depressive-like behavior and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in male and female mice. For PVN vasculature, female offspring of vehicle (veh)-treated mothers had significantly more astrocytes and pericytes than male offspring from the same litters. Female offspring from dexamethasone (dex)-treated mothers had significantly lower levels of astrocytes than female offspring from veh-treated mothers, whereas male offspring from dex-treated mothers had greater levels of pericytes compared with veh-treated male offspring. Using the tail-suspension test, male and female offspring from dex-treated mothers had significantly shorter latencies to immobility, indicating an increase in depression-like behavior, and showed greater plasma corticosterone after restraint stress, which was significantly greater in female offspring from dex-treated mothers even after recovery. Therefore, in addition to long-term sex differences in cellular components of the BBB in the PVN that were differentially regulated by fetal glucocorticoid exposure, there were behavioral differences observed into early adulthood in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystle A Frahm
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523.,Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
| | - Stuart A Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
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31
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Goldstein JM, Holsen L, Huang G, Hammond BD, James-Todd T, Cherkerzian S, Hale TM, Handa RJ. Prenatal stress-immune programming of sex differences in comorbidity of depression and obesity/metabolic syndrome. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2017. [PMID: 28179814 PMCID: PMC5286728 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2016.18.4/jgoldstein] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the number one cause of disability worldwide and is comorbid with many chronic diseases, including obesity/metabolic syndrome (MetS). Women have twice as much risk for MDD and comorbidity with obesity/MetS as men, although pathways for understanding this association remain unclear. On the basis of clinical and preclinical studies, we argue that prenatal maternal stress (ie, excess glucocorticoid expression and associated immune responses) that occurs during the sexual differentiation of the fetal brain has sex-dependent effects on brain development within highly sexually dimorphic regions that regulate mood, stress, metabolic function, the autonomic nervous system, and the vasculature. Furthermore, these effects have lifelong consequences for shared sex-dependent risk of MDD and obesity/MetS. Thus, we propose that there are shared biologic substrates at the anatomical, molecular, and/or genetic levels that produce the comorbid risk for MDD-MetS through sex-dependent fetal origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Goldstein
- Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Laura Holsen
- Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Grace Huang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bradley D Hammond
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Tamarra James-Todd
- Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sara Cherkerzian
- Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Taben M Hale
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Abstract
Gonadal hormones play a key role in the establishment, activation, and regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. By influencing the response and sensitivity to releasing factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones, gonadal steroids help orchestrate the gain of the HPA axis to fine-tune the levels of stress hormones in the general circulation. From early life to adulthood, gonadal steroids can differentially affect the HPA axis, resulting in sex differences in the responsivity of this axis. The HPA axis influences many physiological functions making an organism's response to changes in the environment appropriate for its reproductive status. Although the acute HPA response to stressors is a beneficial response, constant activation of this circuitry by chronic or traumatic stressful episodes may lead to a dysregulation of the HPA axis and cause pathology. Compared to males, female mice and rats show a more robust HPA axis response, as a result of circulating estradiol levels which elevate stress hormone levels during non-threatening situations, and during and after stressors. Fluctuating levels of gonadal steroids in females across the estrous cycle are a major factor contributing to sex differences in the robustness of HPA activity in females compared to males. Moreover, gonadal steroids may also contribute to epigenetic and organizational influences on the HPA axis even before puberty. Correspondingly, crosstalk between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and HPA axes could lead to abnormalities of stress responses. In humans, a dysregulated stress response is one of the most common symptoms seen across many neuropsychiatric disorders, and as a result, such interactions may exacerbate peripheral pathologies. In this review, we discuss the HPA and HPG axes and review how gonadal steroids interact with the HPA axis to regulate the stress circuitry during all stages in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Oyola
- a Department of Biomedical Sciences , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Robert J Handa
- a Department of Biomedical Sciences , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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Oyola MG, Thompson MK, Handa AZ, Handa RJ. Distribution and chemical composition of estrogen receptor β neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the female and male mouse hypothalamus. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:3666-3682. [PMID: 28758220 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [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: 10/16/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ)-expressing neurons regulates the mammalian stress response via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These neurons densely populate the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Recent research has revealed striking differences between rat and mouse PVN cytochemistry, but careful exploration of PVN ERβ neurons in mice has been hindered by a lack of specific ERβ antisera. Therefore, we used male and female transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of the mouse ERβ promoter (ERβ-EGFP) to examine the chemical architecture of PVN ERβ cells. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that 90% of ERβ-immunoreactivity (-ir) colocalized with EGFP. Cellular colocalization of EGFP with neuropeptides, transcription modulators, and neuronal tracers was examined throughout the PVN. ERβ-EGFP cells expressed oxytocin more abundantly in the rostral (71 ± 3%) than caudal (33 ± 8%) PVN. Arginine vasopressin colocalized with EGFP more often in females (18 ± 3%) than males (4 ± 1%). Moreover, estrogen receptor α-ir colocalized with ERβ-EGFP at low levels (15 ± 3%). Using a corticotropin releasing hormone-cre driver X tdTomato reporter mouse, we found a moderate colocalization with ERβ-ir (48 ± 16%) in the middle PVN. Peripheral injection of fluorogold revealed that the rostral PVN ERβ-EGFP cells are neuroendocrine neurons whereas non-neuroendocrine (presumably pre-autonomic) ERβ-EGFP neurons predominated in the posterior PVN. These data demonstrate chemoarchitectural differences in ERβ neurons of the mouse PVN that are different from that previously described for the rat, thus, elucidating potential neuronal pathways involved in the regulation of the HPA axis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Oyola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
| | - Maranda K Thompson
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Univ. Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Aaron Z Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Univ. Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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Foradori CD, Zimmerman AD, Coder PS, Peachee VL, Handa RJ, Kimber I, Pruett SB, Breckenridge CB. Lack of immunotoxic effects of repeated exposure to atrazine associated with the adaptation of adrenal gland activation. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 89:200-214. [PMID: 28736286 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
T cell-dependent IgM antibody production and natural killer cell (NKC) activity were assessed in SD rats orally administered atrazine for 28 days to males (0, 6.5, 25, or 100 mg/kg/day) or females (0, 3, 6, or 50 mg/kg/day), or 30 or 500 ppm in diet (3 or 51 mg/kg/day). Anti-asialo GM1 antibodies (NKC) and cyclophosphamide (antibody-forming cell assay [AFC]) served as positive controls. Pituitary (ACTH, prolactin), adrenal (corticosterone, progesterone, aldosterone), and gonadal (androgens, estrogens) hormones were assessed after 1, 7, and/or 28 days of treatment. Food intake and body weights were significantly reduced in the highest dosed males, and transiently affected in females. Urinary corticosterone levels were not increased in atrazine-treated groups in either sex at any time point measured (10, 22, or 24 days). Corticosterone and progesterone were elevated in males after a single atrazine dose ≥6.5 mg/kg/day, but not after 7, 14, or 28 doses. There were no effects on adrenal, pituitary, or gonadal hormones in females. Atrazine did not suppress the AFC response or decrease NKC function after 28 days in males or females. Atrazine had no effect on spleen weights or spleen cell numbers in males or females, although thymus weights were elevated in males receiving the highest dose. The lack of immunotoxic effect of atrazine was associated with diminished adrenal activation over time in males, and no effects on adrenal hormones in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad D Foradori
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Arthur D Zimmerman
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Pragati S Coder
- Charles River Laboratories Ashland LLC, Ashland, OH, United States
| | | | - Robert J Handa
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Ian Kimber
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Stephen B Pruett
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, MS, United States
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Schulz MK, McNulty JA, Handa RJ, Hogan TP, Tillotson GL, Shaw PL, Zimmer J, Castro AJ. Fetal Neocortical Transplants Grafted into Neocortical Lesion Cavities Made in Newborn Rats: An Analysis of Transplant Integration with the Host Brain. Cell Transplant 2017; 4:123-32. [PMID: 7728326 DOI: 10.1177/096368979500400116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal neocortical transplants placed into frontal cortex aspiration lesion cavities in newborn rats have been shown to survive and exchange connections with the host brain. To further study the afferent innervation of such transplants, enzyme- and immunohistochemical techniques were employed to examine the distribution of cholinergic, cat-echolaminergic and serotonergic fibers within the transplants, and radiochemical enzyme assays and high performance liquid chromatography were used to determine the content of neurotransmitter markers for these same fiber systems. To examine functional integration of the transplanted neurons in terms of activation of molecular signaling systems, the graft recipient animals were exposed to a novel open field environment. This behavioral testing paradigm is known to induce c-fos mRNA and Fos protein within several areas of the normal brain, including the sensorimotor cortex. Subsequent detection of the induction of this particular immediate early gene (transcription as well as translation) in the grafts would accordingly indicate genomic activation and therefore functional integration at the level of molecular signaling systems. Our results showed that these global fiber systems are distributed evenly throughout the extent of three mo old neocortical grafts and that the content of transmitter-related markers for these systems do not differ significantly from control cortex. Open field exposure of the grafted animals resulted in c-fos mRNA and Fos protein expression of cells distributed throughout the transplants. We conclude that the “global” fiber system innervation of neocortical transplants placed into newborn rats is similar to the innervation of normal cortex and that grafted neurons respond to host brain activation at the level of molecular signaling systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Schulz
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
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Russell AL, Grimes JM, Cruthirds DF, Westerfield J, Wooten L, Keil M, Weiser MJ, Landauer MR, Handa RJ, Wu TJ, Larco DO. Dietary Isoflavone-Dependent and Estradiol Replacement Effects on Body Weight in the Ovariectomized (OVX) Rat. Horm Metab Res 2017; 49:457-465. [PMID: 28482370 PMCID: PMC5820000 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-108250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
17β-Estradiol is known to regulate energy metabolism and body weight. Ovariectomy results in body weight gain while estradiol administration results in a reversal of weight gain. Isoflavones, found in rodent chow, can mimic estrogenic effects making it crucial to understand the role of these compounds on metabolic regulation. The goal of this study is to examine the effect of dietary isoflavones on body weight regulation in the ovariectomized rat. This study will examine how dietary isoflavones can interact with estradiol treatment to affect body weight. Consistent with previous findings, animals fed an isoflavone-rich diet had decreased body weight (p<0.05), abdominal fat (p<0.05), and serum leptin levels (p<0.05) compared to animals fed an isoflavone-free diet. Estradiol replacement resulted in decreased body weight (p<0.05), abdominal fat (p<0.05), and serum leptin (p<0.05). Current literature suggests the involvement of cytokines in the inflammatory response of body weight gain. We screened a host of cytokines and chemokines that may be altered by dietary isoflavones or estradiol replacement. Serum cytokine analysis revealed significant (p<0.05) diet-dependent increases in inflammatory cytokines (keratinocyte-derived chemokine). The isoflavone-free diet in OVX rats resulted in the regulation of the following cytokines and chemokines: interleukin-10, interleukin-18, serum regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (p<0.05). Overall, these results reveal that estradiol treatment can have differential effects on energy metabolism and body weight regulation depending on the presence of isoflavones in rodent chow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L. Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jamie Moran Grimes
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Danette F. Cruthirds
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joanna Westerfield
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lawren Wooten
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Michael J. Weiser
- DSM Nutritional Products Inc., Human Nutrition & Health, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael R. Landauer
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - T. John Wu
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Darwin O. Larco
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Russell AL, Grimes JM, Larco DO, Cruthirds DF, Westerfield J, Wooten L, Keil M, Weiser MJ, Landauer MR, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. The interaction of dietary isoflavones and estradiol replacement on behavior and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the ovariectomized rat. Neurosci Lett 2017; 640:53-59. [PMID: 28077306 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Phytoestrogens are plant derived, non-steroidal compounds naturally found in rodent chows that potentially have endocrine-disrupting effects. Isoflavones, the most common phytoestrogens, have a similar structure and molecular weight to 17β-estradiol (E2) and have the ability to bind and activate both isoforms of the estrogen receptor (ER). Most isoflavones have a higher affinity for ERβ, which is involved in sexually dimorphic behavioral regulation. The goal of this study was to examine the interaction of isoflavones and E2 presence in the OVX rat on anxiety- and depressive- like behavior and the related BDNF pathophysiology. E2 administration resulted in anxiogenic behaviors when isoflavones were present in the diet (p<0.05), but anxiolytic behaviors when isoflavones were not present (p<0.05). E2 resulted in antidepressive-like behaviors in animals fed an isoflavone-rich diet (p<0.05), with no effect when isoflavones were removed. Increased hippocampal BDNF expression was observed in animals fed an isoflavone-rich diet after E2 administration (p<0.05). BDNF expression in the amygdala and hypothalamus was increased after E2 treatment in animals fed an isoflavone-rich diet. Overall, these results demonstrate that the presence of dietary isoflavones can differentially regulate the effect of E2 replacement on behavior and BDNF expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley L Russell
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jamie Moran Grimes
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Darwin O Larco
- Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Danette F Cruthirds
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Joanna Westerfield
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Lawren Wooten
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Margaret Keil
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Michael J Weiser
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Michael R Landauer
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - T John Wu
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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Abstract
Estrogens exert profound effects on the expression of anxiety in humans and rodents; however, the directionality of these effects varies considerably within both clinical and preclinical literature. It is believed that discrepancies regarding the nature of estrogens' effects on anxiety are attributable to the differential effects of specific estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes. In this chapter we will discuss the relative impact on anxiety and anxiety-like behavior of each of the three main ERs: ERα, which has a generally anxiogenic effect, ERβ, which has a generally anxiolytic effect, and the G-protein-coupled ER known as GPR30, which has been found to both increase and decrease anxiety-like behavior. In addition, we will describe the known mechanisms by which these receptor subtypes exert their influence on emotional responses, focusing on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the oxytocinergic and serotonergic systems. The impact of estrogens on the expression of anxiety is likely the result of their combined effects on all of these neurobiological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Borrow
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - R J Handa
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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Hiroi R, Carbone DL, Zuloaga DG, Bimonte-Nelson HA, Handa RJ. Sex-dependent programming effects of prenatal glucocorticoid treatment on the developing serotonin system and stress-related behaviors in adulthood. Neuroscience 2016; 320:43-56. [PMID: 26844389 PMCID: PMC4840233 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.01.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 10/10/2015] [Revised: 01/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress and overexposure to glucocorticoids (GC) during development may be associated with an increased susceptibility to a number of diseases in adulthood including neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. In animal models, prenatal overexposure to GC results in hyper-responsiveness to stress in adulthood, and females appear to be more susceptible than males. Here, we tested the hypothesis that overexposure to GC during fetal development has sex-specific programming effects on the brain, resulting in altered behaviors in adulthood. We examined the effects of dexamethasone (DEX; a synthetic GC) during prenatal life on stress-related behaviors in adulthood and on the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TpH2) gene expression in the adult dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). TpH2 is the rate-limiting enzyme for serotonin (5-HT) synthesis and has been implicated in the etiology of human affective disorders. Timed-pregnant rats were treated with DEX from gestational days 18-22. Male and female offspring were sacrificed on the day of birth (postnatal day 0; P0), P7, and in adulthood (P80-84) and brains were examined for changes in TpH2 mRNA expression. Adult animals were also tested for anxiety- and depressive- like behaviors. In adulthood, prenatal DEX increased anxiety- and depressive- like behaviors selectively in females, as measured by decreased time spent in the center of the open field and increased time spent immobile in the forced swim test, respectively. Prenatal DEX increased TpH2 mRNA selectively in the female caudal DRN at P7, whereas it decreased TpH2 mRNA selectively in the female caudal DRN in adulthood. In animals challenged with restraint stress in adulthood, TpH2 mRNA was significantly lower in rostral DRN of prenatal DEX-treated females compared to vehicle-treated females. These data demonstrated that prenatal overexposure to GC alters the development of TpH2 gene expression and these alterations correlated with lasting behavioral changes found in adult female offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Hiroi
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA; Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - D L Carbone
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
| | - D G Zuloaga
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
| | - H A Bimonte-Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - R J Handa
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 550 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
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Breckenridge CB, Sawhney Coder P, Tisdel MO, Simpkins JW, Yi KD, Foradori CD, Handa RJ. Effect of Age, Duration of Exposure, and Dose of Atrazine on Sexual Maturation and the Luteinizing Hormone Surge in the Female Sprague-Dawley Rat. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 104:204-17. [PMID: 26439775 PMCID: PMC4992940 DOI: 10.1002/bdrb.21154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Atrazine (ATZ) was administered daily by gavage to pregnant female Sprague Dawley rats at doses of 0, 6.25, 25 or 50 mg/kg/day, either during gestation, lactation and post‐weaning (G/L/PW cohort) to F1 generation female offspring or only from postnatal day (PND 21) until five days after sexual maturation (vaginal opening) when the estrogen‐primed, luteinizing hormone (LH) surge was evaluated (PW cohort). Additional subgroups of F1 females received the vehicle or ATZ from PND 21–133 or from PND 120–133. Slight reductions in fertility and the percentage of F1 generation pups surviving to PND 21 in the gestationally exposed 50 mg/kg dose group were accompanied by decreased food intake and body weight of dams and F1 generation offspring. The onset of puberty was delayed in of the F1 generation G/L/PW females at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg/day. F1 generation females in the PW high‐dose ATZ group also experienced a delay in the onset of puberty. ATZ had no effect on peak LH or LH AUC in ovariectomized rats 5 days after sexual maturation, irrespective of whether the F1 generation females were treated from gestation onward or only peripubertally. There was no effect of ATZ treatment on the estrous cycle, peak LH or LH AUC of F1 generation females exposed from gestation through to PND 133 or only for two weeks from PND 120–133. These results indicate that developing females exposed to ATZ are not more sensitive compared to animals exposed to ATZ as young adults
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles B Breckenridge
- Department of Toxicology and Health Sciences, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | | | - Merrill O Tisdel
- Department of Toxicology and Health Sciences, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - James W Simpkins
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of West Virginia, Morgantown, West Virginia
| | - Kun Don Yi
- Department of Toxicology and Health Sciences, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - Chad D Foradori
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, Alabama
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona.,College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado
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Abstract
In addition to androgenic properties mediated via androgen receptors, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) also regulates estrogenic functions via an alternate pathway. These estrogenic functions of DHT are mediated by its metabolite 5α-androstane-3β, 17β-diol (3β-diol) binding to estrogen receptor β (ERβ). CYP7B1 enzyme converts 3β-diol to inactive 6α- or 7α-triols and plays an important role as a regulator of estrogenic functions mediated by 3β-diol. Using a mutant mouse carrying a null mutation for the CYP7B1 gene (CYP7B1KO), we examined the contribution of CYP7B1 on physiology and behavior. Male, gonadectomized (GDX) CYP7B1KO and their wild type (WT) littermates were assessed for their behavioral phenotype, anxiety-related behavioral measures, and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis reactivity. No significant effects of genotype were evident in anxiety-like behaviors in open field (OFA), light-dark (L/D) exploration, and elevated plus maze (EPM). T significantly reduced open arm time on the EPM while not affecting L/D exploratory and OFA behaviors in CYP7B1KO and WT littermates. T also attenuated the corticosterone response to EPM in both genotypes. In GDX animals, T was able to reinstate male-specific reproductive behaviors (latencies and number of mounts, intromission, and ejaculations) in the WT but not in the CYP7B1KO mice. The male reproductive behavior defect in CYP7B1KO seems to be due to their inability to distinguish olfactory cues from a behavioral estrus female. CYP7B1KO mice also showed a reduction in androgen receptor mRNA expression in the olfactory bulb. Our findings suggest a novel role for the CYP7B1 enzyme in the regulation of male reproductive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario G Oyola
- Department of Neuroscience (M.G.O., A.A.-R., S.K.M.), Molecular & Cellular Biology (A.M.M., S.K.M.), Memory and Brain Research Center (M.G.O., A.M.M., A.A.-R., S.K.M.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030; and Department Of Basic Medical Sciences (D.G.Z., D.C., R.J.H.), University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona 85004
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Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide synthesized primarily by neurons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. These neurons have axons that project into the posterior pituitary and release OT into the bloodstream to promote labor and lactation; however, OT neurons also project to other brain areas where it plays a role in numerous brain functions. OT binds to the widely expressed OT receptor (OTR), and, in doing so, it regulates homeostatic processes, social recognition, and fear conditioning. In addition to these functions, OT decreases neuroendocrine stress signaling and anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors. Steroid hormones differentially modulate stress responses and alter OTR expression. In particular, estrogen receptor β activation has been found to both reduce anxiety-related behaviors and increase OT peptide transcription, suggesting a role for OT in this estrogen receptor β-mediated anxiolytic effect. Further research is needed to identify modulators of OT signaling and the pathways utilized and to elucidate molecular mechanisms controlling OT expression to allow better therapeutic manipulations of this system in patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Acevedo-Rodriguez
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Memory and Brain Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shaila K. Mani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Memory and Brain Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- *Correspondence: Robert J. Handa,
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Sollars PJ, Weiser MJ, Kudwa AE, Bramley JR, Ogilvie MD, Spencer RL, Handa RJ, Pickard GE. Altered entrainment to the day/night cycle attenuates the daily rise in circulating corticosterone in the mouse. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111944. [PMID: 25365210 PMCID: PMC4218825 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a circadian oscillator entrained to the day/night cycle via input from the retina. Serotonin (5-HT) afferents to the SCN modulate retinal signals via activation of 5-HT1B receptors, decreasing responsiveness to light. Consequently, 5-HT1B receptor knockout (KO) mice entrain to the day/night cycle with delayed activity onsets. Since circulating corticosterone levels exhibit a robust daily rhythm peaking around activity onset, we asked whether delayed entrainment of activity onsets affects rhythmic corticosterone secretion. Wheel-running activity and plasma corticosterone were monitored in mice housed under several different lighting regimens. Both duration of the light:dark cycle (T cycle) and the duration of light within that cycle was altered. 5-HT1B KO mice that entrained to a 9.5L:13.5D (short day in a T = 23 h) cycle with activity onsets delayed more than 4 h after light offset exhibited a corticosterone rhythm in phase with activity rhythms but reduced 50% in amplitude compared to animals that initiated daily activity <4 h after light offset. Wild type mice in 8L:14D (short day in a T = 22 h) conditions with highly delayed activity onsets also exhibited a 50% reduction in peak plasma corticosterone levels. Exogenous adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulation in animals exhibiting highly delayed entrainment suggested that the endogenous rhythm of adrenal responsiveness to ACTH remained aligned with SCN-driven behavioral activity. Circadian clock gene expression in the adrenal cortex of these same animals suggested that the adrenal circadian clock was also aligned with SCN-driven behavior. Under T cycles <24 h, altered circadian entrainment to short day (winter-like) conditions, manifest as long delays in activity onset after light offset, severely reduces the amplitude of the diurnal rhythm of plasma corticosterone. Such a pronounced reduction in the glucocorticoid rhythm may alter rhythmic gene expression in the central nervous system and in peripheral organs contributing to an array of potential pathophysiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia J. Sollars
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Michael J. Weiser
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, United States of America
| | - Andrea E. Kudwa
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
| | - Jayne R. Bramley
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583, United States of America
| | - Malcolm D. Ogilvie
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583, United States of America
| | - Robert L. Spencer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, 85004, United States of America
| | - Gary E. Pickard
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, United States of America
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68583, United States of America
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Mani SK, Anselmo-Franci J, Lara H, Suchecki D, Poletini MO, Handa RJ, Wu TYJ. Neuroendocrine regulation and homeostasis. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:555-6. [PMID: 25059493 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shaila K Mani
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Stratton MS, Staros M, Budefeld T, Searcy BT, Nash C, Eitel C, Carbone D, Handa RJ, Majdic G, Tobet SA. Embryonic GABA(B) receptor blockade alters cell migration, adult hypothalamic structure, and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors sex specifically in mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e106015. [PMID: 25162235 PMCID: PMC4146593 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) regulate the hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system. Females lacking functional GABAB receptors because of a genetic disruption of the R1 subunit have altered cellular characteristics in and around the PVN at birth. The genetic disruption precluded appropriate assessments of physiology or behavior in adulthood. The current study was conducted to test the long term impact of a temporally restricting pharmacological blockade of the GABAB receptor to a 7-day critical period (E11–E17) during embryonic development. Experiments tested the role of GABAB receptor signaling in fetal development of the PVN and later adult capacities for adult stress related behaviors and physiology. In organotypic slices containing fetal PVN, there was a female specific, 52% increase in cell movement speeds with GABAB receptor antagonist treatment that was consistent with a sex-dependent lateral displacement of cells in vivo following 7 days of fetal exposure to GABAB receptor antagonist. Anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, open-field activity, and HPA mediated responses to restraint stress were measured in adult offspring of mothers treated with GABAB receptor antagonist. Embryonic exposure to GABAB receptor antagonist resulted in reduced HPA axis activation following restraint stress and reduced depression-like behaviors. There was also increased anxiety-like behavior selectively in females and hyperactivity in males. A sex dependent response to disruptions of GABAB receptor signaling was identified for PVN formation and key aspects of physiology and behavior. These changes correspond to sex specific prevalence in similar human disorders, namely anxiety disorders and hyperactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. Stratton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Michelle Staros
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Tomaz Budefeld
- Center for Animal Genomics, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Brian T. Searcy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Connor Nash
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Chad Eitel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - David Carbone
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Gregor Majdic
- Center for Animal Genomics, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Stuart A. Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Zuloaga DG, Zuloaga KL, Hinds LR, Carbone DL, Handa RJ. Estrogen receptor β expression in the mouse forebrain: age and sex differences. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:358-71. [PMID: 23818057 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [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: 10/10/2012] [Revised: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Estrogen receptors regulate multiple brain functions, including stress, sexual, and memory-associated behaviors as well as controlling neuroendocrine and autonomic function. During development, estrogen signaling is involved in programming adult sex differences in physiology and behavior. Expression of estrogen receptor α changes across development in a region-specific fashion. By contrast, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is expressed in many brain regions, yet few studies have explored sex and developmental differences in its expression, largely because of the absence of selective reagents for anatomical localization of the protein. This study utilized bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mice expressing ERβ identified by enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to compare expression levels and distribution of ERβ in the male and female mouse forebrain on the day of birth (P0), on postnatal day 4 (P4), and on P21. By using qualitative analysis, we mapped the distribution of ERβ-EGFP and found developmental alterations in ERβ expression within the cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamic regions including the arcuate, ventromedial, and paraventricular nuclei. We also report a sex difference in ERβ in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, with males showing greater expression at P4 and P21. Another sex difference was found in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus of P21, but not P0 or P4, mice, in which ERβ-EGFP-immunoreactive cells were densely clustered near the third ventricle in females but not males. These developmental changes and sex differences in ERβ indicate a mechanism through which estrogens might differentially affect brain functions or program adult physiology at select times during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian G Zuloaga
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, 85004-2157
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Foradori CD, Sawhney Coder P, Tisdel M, Yi KD, Simpkins JW, Handa RJ, Breckenridge CB. The effect of atrazine administered by gavage or in diet on the LH surge and reproductive performance in intact female Sprague-Dawley and Long Evans rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 101:262-75. [PMID: 24831581 PMCID: PMC4227606 DOI: 10.1002/bdrb.21109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Atrazine (ATR) blunts the hormone-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, when administered by gavage (50–100 mg/kg/day for 4 days), in ovariectomized rats. In this study, we determined if comparable doses delivered either by gavage (bolus dose) or distributed in diet would reduce the LH surge and subsequently affect fertility in the intact female rat. ATR was administered daily to intact female Sprague-Dawley (SD) or Long Evans (LE) rats by gavage (0, 0.75 1.5, 3, 6, 10, 12, 50, or 100 mg/kg/day) or diet (0, 30, 100, 160, 500, 660, or 1460 ppm) during one complete 4-day estrous cycle, starting on day of estrus. Estrous status, corpora lutea, ova, and LH plasma concentrations were evaluated. A second cohort of animals was mated on the fourth treatment day. Fertility metrics were assessed on gestational day 20. A higher portion of LE rats had asynchronous estrous cycles when compared to SD rats both during pretreatment and in response to ATR (≥50 mg/kg). In contrast, bolus doses of ATR (≥50 mg/kg) inhibited the peak and area under the curve for the preovulatory LH surge in SD but not LE animals. Likewise, only bolus-treated SD, not LE, rats displayed reduced mean number of corpora lutea and ova. There were no effects of ATR administered by gavage on mating, gravid number, or fetus number. Dietary administration had no effect on any reproductive parameter measured. These findings indicate that short duration, high-bolus doses of ATR can inhibit the LH surge and reduce the number of follicles ovulated; however, dietary administration has no effect on any endocrine or reproductive outcomes
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad D Foradori
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
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Abstract
The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis represents a complex neuroendocrine feedback loop controlling the secretion of adrenal glucocorticoid hormones. Central to its function is the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) where neurons expressing corticotropin releasing factor reside. These HPA motor neurons are a primary site of integration leading to graded endocrine responses to physical and psychological stressors. An important regulatory factor that must be considered, prior to generating an appropriate response is the animal's reproductive status. Thus, PVN neurons express androgen and estrogen receptors and receive input from sites that also express these receptors. Consequently, changes in reproduction and gonadal steroid levels modulate the stress response and this underlies sex differences in HPA axis function. This review examines the make up of the HPA axis and hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the interactions between the two that should be considered when exploring normal and pathological responses to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Science, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States.
| | - Michael J Weiser
- DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., R&D Human Nutrition and Health, Boulder, CO 80301, United States
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Goldstein JM, Handa RJ, Tobet SA. Disruption of fetal hormonal programming (prenatal stress) implicates shared risk for sex differences in depression and cardiovascular disease. Front Neuroendocrinol 2014; 35:140-58. [PMID: 24355523 PMCID: PMC3917309 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2013.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Revised: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the fourth leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and women have a two times greater risk than men. Thus understanding the pathophysiology has widespread implications for attenuation and prevention of disease burden. We suggest that sex-dependent MDD-CVD comorbidity may result from alterations in fetal programming consequent to the prenatal maternal environments that produce excess glucocorticoids, which then drive sex-dependent developmental alterations of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis circuitry impacting mood, stress regulation, autonomic nervous system (ANS), and the vasculature in adulthood. Evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that disruptions of pathways associated with gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in neuronal and vascular development and growth factors have critical roles in key developmental periods and adult responses to injury in heart and brain. Understanding the potential fetal origins of these sex differences will contribute to development of novel sex-dependent therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Goldstein
- Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Connors Center for Women's Health & Gender Biology, 1620 Tremont St. BC-3-34, Boston, MA 02120, USA; BWH, Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, 1620 Tremont St. BC-3-34, Boston, MA 02120, USA.
| | - R J Handa
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, 425 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - S A Tobet
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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