Relationship between striatal levels of interleukin-2 mRNA and plus-maze behaviour in the rat

Our previous experiments have shown that adult male Wistar rats can differ systematically in elevated plus-maze (EPM) behaviour, which was related to the neurotransmitter serotonin in the ventral striatum. The EPM serves as a model of anxiety-like behaviour, and there is evidence that interleukin (IL)-2 in the brain may be related to anxiety-like behaviour, and that IL-2 interacts with the striatal serotonergic system. We asked whether EPM behaviour may also be related to constitutive levels of cytokines in the striatum. Based on open arm time in the EPM, male Wistar rats were divided into sub-groups with either low or high anxiety-like behaviour. Then, IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-6, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha cDNA levels were measured post mortem in striatal tissues using semi-quantitative, competitive, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Rats with high anxiety-like behaviour in the EPM showed significantly higher levels of IL-2 mRNA compared to those with low anxiety-like behaviour, but did not differ significantly in expression of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha mRNA. These results provide new evidence indicating that specific cytokine patterns in the striatum may be associated with EPM behaviour in adult male Wistar rats.