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Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
Prenatal stress induced depressive-like behavior and region dependently high CRP level in offspring rats
Shaoning Li1, Huifang Zhang1, Xueyun Gao2
1Department of Emergency, Xi'an Children's Hospital, The Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University), Xi'an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
Insights
Prenatal stress (PS) in rats induced depressive-like behaviors and increased C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in the brain. These findings suggest CRP plays a role in stress-induced depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Prenatal stress (PS) is a known risk factor for developing mental health disorders.
- C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker implicated in various conditions, including depression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of prenatal stress on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in specific brain regions of offspring rats.
- To explore the correlation between prenatal stress, depressive-like behaviors, and CRP expression.
Main Methods:
- A rat model was established using prenatal restraint stress.
- Depressive-like behaviors were assessed using sucrose preference, open-field, and forced swimming tests.
- CRP mRNA and protein levels were quantified using qRT-PCR and Western blotting in various tissues.
Main Results:
- Prenatal stress induced significant depressive-like behaviors in offspring rats.
- CRP mRNA and protein expression were significantly elevated in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus of stressed offspring.
- No significant changes in CRP levels were observed in the liver, heart, olfactory bulb, striatum, or cerebellum.
Conclusions:
- Increased CRP expression in key brain regions may be a critical mechanism underlying depressive-like behaviors induced by prenatal stress.
- These findings highlight the role of neuroinflammation in the long-term consequences of prenatal stress.
Introduction:
To explore the changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) level in different regions of one old offspring rats exposed to prenatal stress (PS).
Methods:
The rat model was constructed with prenatal restraint stress on pregnant dams on days 14-20 of gestation. Offspring rats were randomly divided into PS susceptibility (PS-S) group and control (CON) group. Behavioral experiments including sucrose preference test (SPT), open-field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) were used to measure depressive-like behaviors. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were applied to detect the changes in CRP level.
Results:
The results showed that PS could cause depressive-like behaviors in all SPT, OFT, and FST. Concomitantly, CRP mRNA and protein expression significantly increased in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus in the PS-S group when compared that in the CON group, while no significantly changes in liver, heart, olfactory bulb, striatum, and cerebellum in the PS-S group when compared that in the CON group.
Conclusion:
Increasing of CRP expression in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus may play a critical role in the mechanism under depressive-like behavior in offspring rats exposed to PS.
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