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Mitochondrial Toxicity by 3-NP Enhanced Susceptibility to Defective Social Behaviors in Male Wistar Rats
Fatemeh Nasehi1, Fariba Khodagholi1, Neda Kaveh1
1Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Cognition, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Introduction:
The impaired mitochondrial function in neurons is a principal abnormality in many medical conditions. Behavioral changes are the key aspects that emerge under these conditions. In the current study, we investigated whether social interactions are influenced by 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced mitochondrial failure. We also assessed changes in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and FKBP5 protein levels, cytochrome contents, and monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activities in the striatum (ST), hippocampus (HIP), and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the subjects.
Methods:
Adult male Wistar rats were treated with 3-NP. Then, the social and non-social behaviors of 3-NP-treated rats were investigated. Different dissected brain regions were considered regarding GR and FKBP5 protein levels, cytochrome contents, and MAO-A and MAO-B.
Results:
We found a significantly decreased duration of social behaviors and impaired non-social behavioral tests. We detected a decreasing trend in GR and FKBP5 protein levels. Moreover, cytochrome contents and MAO A and B activities decreased in the dissected brain regions.
Conclusion:
Impaired social/non-social behaviors and decreased levels of investigated molecular variables in the regions mentioned above after 3-NP treatment might point to processes connecting mitochondrial failure to behavioral impairment, particularly social type.
