Noradrenergic mechanisms in the central amygdalar nucleus and gastric stress ulcer formation in rats

Increasing Aspartoacylase in the Central Amygdala: The Common Mechanism of Gastroprotective Effects of Monoamine-Based Antidepressants Against Stress

Monoamine-based antidepressants can prophylactically protect against stress-induced gastric ulcers. Although the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) has been shown to modulate the severity of stress ulcers, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the gastroprotective effect of this kind of drugs. Here, we first used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a non-invasive tool, to explore the change of neurometabolites of the CeA of rats pretreated with the duloxetine of selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors during 6 h of water-immersion restraint stress (WIRS). Duloxetine decreased N-acetyl-aspartate/creatine ratio (NAA/creatine) in CeA after WIRS, which was paralleled by the amelioration of gastric lesions. Meanwhile, the gastric ulcer index was negatively correlated with reduced NAA/creatine. Furthermore, the intra-CeA infusion of NAA aggravated WIRS-induced gastric mucosa damage, which suggested the crucial role of reduced NAA. Western blotting was performed to identify the specific enzymes responsible for the change of the contents of NAA at 0.5 h/3 h/6 h after WIRS, considering the preventative gastric protection of duloxetine. The NAA-catabolizing enzyme aspartoacylase (ASPA) was the only enzyme downregulated by 0.5 h WIRS and upregulated by duloxetine. Moreover, overexpressing ASPA in CeA alleviated stress ulcers. Additionally, all of the other three monoamine-based antidepressants, the fluoxetine of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the amitriptyline of tricyclic agents, and the moclobemide of MAOs, increased ASPA expression in CeA. Together, these results indicate that increasing ASPA to hydrolyze NAA in CeA is a common mechanism of gastroprotective effects against stress exerted by monoamine-based antidepressants, and ASPA is a shared target more than monoamine regulation for this kind of drugs.

Gastroprotective effect of ethanol extracts of cladodes and roots of Pilosocereus gounellei (A. Weber ex K. Schum.) Bly. Ex Rowl (Cactaceae) on experimental ulcer models

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Pilosocereus gounellei Cactaceae), popularly known as "xique xique", is a species native from Caatinga region of Northeast Brazil, which is used by traditional communities in folk medicine for a variety of health problems, especially inflammatory processes and gastritis.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study investigates the possible gastric antiulceractivity of ethanol extracts obtained from the cladodes and roots of Pilosocereus gounellei (EECPG and EERPG, respectively) and mechanisms of action underlying this effect.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mice were used for the evaluation of the acute toxicity, and mice and rats to study the gastroprotective activity. The gastroprotective action of EECPG and EERPG was analyzed in the absolute ethanol in mice, ischemia-reperfusion and cold restraint stress in rats. In the investigation of the gastroprotective mechanisms of EECPG and EERPG, the participation of the NO and prostaglandins, the levels of the non-protein sulfhydril groups (NP-SH) and the catalase activity using the ethanol-induced gastric mucosa lesion model and the quantification of the gastric mucus and the antisecretory activity through pylorus ligature model in rats were analyzed.

RESULTS

The animals did not present any signs of acute toxicity for the EECPG and EERPG, and it was not possible to calculate the DL50. EECPG and EERPG (200 and 400 mg/kg) exhibited a significant gastroprotective effect in absolute ethanol, ischemia-reperfusion-induced and cold restraint stress gastric lesion models. Gastroprotection of EECPG and EERPG (200 mg/kg) was significantly decreased in pre-treated mice with L-NAME. Our studies revealed that EECPG and EERPG (200 mg/kg) prevented the decrease of the non-protein sulfhydril groups (NPSH) and increased the catalase levels in ethanol-treated animals. However, the gastric secretion parameters (volume, [H+], pH) did not show any alteration.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that the ethanolic extract from the cladodes and roots of Pilosocereus gounellei exhibits a significant gastroprotection, because it inhibits the formation of gastric lesions using different models. The participation of the nitric oxide, prostaglandins, the non-protein sulfhydril groups (NP-SH), catalase seem to be involved in the gastroprotection activity of the EECPG and EERPG. Nevertheless, this activity does not seem to be related to antisecretory mechanisms.

Protective effect of extract from Rumex aquaticus herba on ethanol-induced gastric damage in rats

BACKGROUND/AIMS

In this study, we investigated the gastroprotective effect of extract including quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronopyranoside (EIQ) from Rumex aquaticus herba against the ethanol-induced gastric damage in rats.

METHODS

The rats were divided into eight groups composed of a non-ethanol group, only EIQ (10 mg/kg) group, groups with absolute ethanol after pretreatment with various doses of EIQ (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg), rebamipide (10 mg/kg), stillen (40 mg/kg) and a control receiving only absolute ethanol. Ethanol-induced gastric lesions, lipid peroxidation, neutrophil infiltration and glutathione level were measured. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity were assessed by an assay kit. Protein expression of SOD, catalase or hemoxygenase-1 (HO-1) was assessed by western blotting analysis.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

In the absolute ethanol treated group, gastric lesion and malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased with enhanced myeloperoxidase activity. Administration of EIQ 1 h prior to ethanol treatment significantly inhibited the formation of gastric lesions and the elevation of the malondialdehyde levels with myeloperoxidase activity. In addition, pretreatment with EIQ significantly increased the level of glutathione, and elevated the activity and protein expression of radical scavenging enzymes, such as SOD, catalase and HO-1. EIQ may exert anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects against ethanol-induced gastric injury through the reduction of lipid peroxidation, myeloperoxidase activity and free radicals.

Heterogeneous electrophysiological and morphological properties of neurons in the mouse medial amygdala in vitro

Neurons in the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA) play a key role in the innate maternal, reproductive, defensive, and social behaviors. However, it is unclear how activation of the vomeronasal system leads to the behavioral outputs that are associated with pheromones. Here, we characterized the electrophysiological and morphological properties of MeA neurons using whole-cell recordings in mice slice preparations. Biocytin labeling revealed that MeA neurons possessed bipolar to multipolar cell bodies and dendritic fields covering projection areas from the accessory olfactory bulb. In 70% of recorded MeA neurons, monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked from the accessory olfactory bulb afferent in which the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate component was dominant and was rarely followed by the N-methyl-d-aspartic acid component. Norepinephrine increased the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in some neurons, whereas α-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine increased spontaneous EPSCs in other neurons. Morphologically and physiologically, heterogeneous MeA neurons appear likely to produce multiplex outputs of instinctive behaviors.

In vivo antiulcer activity of the aqueous extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaf

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Bauhinia purpurea (Fabaceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat various ailments, including ulcers. In order to establish pharmacological properties of the leaf of Bauhinia purpurea, studies were performed on antiulcer activity of the plant's aqueous extract.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Bauhinia purpurea aqueous extract (BPAE) was prepared in the doses of 100, 500 and 1,000 mg/kg. Antiulcer activity of BPAE was evaluated by absolute ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer, and pyloric ligation models. Acute toxicity was also carried out.

RESULTS

BPAE, at the dose of 5,000 mg/kg, did not cause any signs of toxicity to rats when given orally. Oral administration of BPAE exhibited antiulcer activity (p<0.05) in all models used. However, the dose-dependent activity was observed only in the absolute ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model. Histological studies supported the observed antiulcer activity of BPAE. In pyloric ligation assay, BPAE increased the gastric wall mucus secretion.

CONCLUSIONS

The BPAE exhibits antiulcer activity, which could be due to the presence of saponins or sugar-free polyphenols, and, thus, confirmed the traditional uses of Bauhinia purpurea in the treatment of ulcers.

Analysis of the cold-water restraint procedure in gastric ulceration and body temperature

Gastric mucosal injury induced by body restraint can be enhanced when combined with cold-water immersion. Based on this fact, the present study had two main purposes: (i) to examine the contribution of each of these two forms of stress on the development of gastric ulceration and regulation of body temperature and (ii) to investigate the importance of the animal's consciousness on gastric ulceration induced by the cold-water restraint. Independent groups of animals were exposed for 3 h to one of the following stressful treatments: body restraint plus cold-water (20+1 degrees C) immersion, body restraint alone or cold-water immersion alone. Control animals were not exposed to any form of stress. Half of the animals submitted to each of the four treatments were anesthetized with thionembutal (35 mg/kg), whereas the other half was injected with saline. Results indicated that body restraint alone was not sufficient to induce gastric ulceration or changes in body temperature. On the other hand, cold-water exposure, either alone or in conjunction with body restraint, induced the same amount of stomach erosions and hypothermia. Therefore, it appears that body restraint does not play an important role on gastric ulceration induced by the cold-water restraint procedure. Present results also indicated that conscious and anesthetized animals immersed in cold water presented robust gastric ulceration and a marked drop in body temperature. However, conscious animals developed more severe gastric damage in comparison to anesthetized animals although both groups presented the same degree of hypothermia. These findings suggest that hypothermia resulting from cold-water exposure has a deleterious effect on gastric ulceration but the animal's conscious activity during the cold-water immersion increases the severity of gastric mucosal damage. It is concluded that cold-water restraint is a useful procedure for the study of the underlying mechanisms involved in stress-induced ulceration.

Modulatory effects of norepinephrine, acting on alpha 1 receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala, on behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to acute immobilization stress

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is a component of the limbic fear-anxiety circuit, and has also been implicated in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis. The CeA receives dense noradrenergic innervation, and is rich in expression of alpha(1)-adrenergic receptors. We hypothesized that norepinephrine (NE), acting on alpha(1) receptors in CeA, may modulate stress-induced anxiety-like behavioral responses and HPA activation. To investigate the role of alpha(1) adrenergic receptors in CeA on stress-induced behavioral reactivity, the alpha(1) antagonist benoxathian was microinjected bilaterally into CeA of male Sprague-Dawley rats, and anxiety-like behavioral responses to acute immobilization stress were measured on the Social Interaction (SI) test and on the Elevated Plus-maze (EPMZ). Benoxathian dose dependently blocked the reduction in SI time induced by immobilization stress, whereas beta-receptor antagonists had no effect, consistent with an absence of beta-receptors in CeA. By contrast, in separate experiments, benoxathian had no effect on stress-induced reduction in open-arm exploratory behavior on the EPMZ, nor on stress-induced plasma ACTH secretion. These results confirm that the SI test and EPMZ measure different aspects of behavioral stress reactivity that can be modulated independently, and likewise, that noradrenergic modulation of behavioral stress reactivity can occur independently of modulation of the HPA axis.

Rodent anxiety and kindling of the central amygdala and nucleus basalis

We studied lasting behavioral effects of kindling of three parts of the central nucleus of the amygdala and the anterior nucleus basalis in the right hemisphere of male Wistar rats. Kindling lastingly changed two measures of anxiety in the elevated plus-maze. The nature of the change depended on the location of the kindled focus. Kindling of the posterior central nucleus decreased both open-arm exploration and frequency of risk assessment in the elevated plus-maze 1 week after the fourth stage 5 seizure. Kindling of the middle parts of the central nucleus was without behavioral effects. Kindling of the anterior central nucleus and the anterior nucleus basalis increased risk assessment, which was interpreted as an anxiolytic effect. Changes in risk assessment produced by kindling of the central nucleus were dependent on open-arm avoidance, whereas the effects of nucleus basalis kindling were independent of open-arm avoidance. Analysis of covariance and factor analysis support the view that control of risk assessment is by circuitry, which is independent of that which controls open-arm avoidance. Moreover, part of this circuitry appears to involve the anterior nucleus basalis. Changes in plus-maze behavior were independent of changes in exploration or activity in either the plus-maze or hole board. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that subtle differences in location of a kindled focus within the rat amygdala lead to different behavioral outcomes.

The protective effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on stress-induced gastric ulceration in rats

The pathogenesis of cold-restraint stress ulcer involves various factors and is not completely understood. Mast cell degranulation, increased gastric muscular contractility, diminished mucosal blood flow, release of several biogenic amines, activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and lipid peroxidation which results from toxic oxygen molecules were suggested to be related to the production of gastric damage by cold-restraint stress. Recent evidence strongly indicates that VIP has a modulatory effect on tissue injury. Sprague-Dawley rats were used in two series of experiments. One set of rats was exposed to cold-restraint stress with some of the rats pretreated with VIP. The second set of rats was exposed to cold-restraint stress and then was administered VIP for different durations. Cold-restraint stress induced gastric lesions and mast cell degranulation and also increased lipid peroxidation in gastric tissue. VIP prevented stress-induced ulcers and mast cell degranulation and protected gastric tissue from lipid peroxidation. When VIP was used after induction of stress ulcer it was therapeutically beneficial. Thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, VIP can be valuable in the prevention of gastric mucosal damage induced by cold-restraint stress.

Effect of midazolam with and without flumazenil on conditioned hypoalgesia

The hot plate paradigm for pain threshold was used in two experiments to investigate the effects of the benzodiazepine midazolam and the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil on the acquisition of conditioned hypoalgesia. In Experiment 1, an infusion of midazolam (10 micrograms) into the nucleus accumbens, but not into the striatum or intermediate reticular zone, resulted in a complete blocking of the acquisition of conditioned hypoalgesia. Two possible mechanisms underlying this disruption in learning are discussed. Experiment 2 revealed that systemically administered flumazenil (10 mg/kg) was capable of blocking the effect of midazolam observed in Experiment 1 only when administered in such a manner as to prevent any activity of midazolam at benzodiazepine receptors. These results suggest that the effect of midazolam observed in Experiment 1 was mediated by a relatively short action at benzodiazepine receptors.

The amygdaloid complex, corticotropin releasing factor and stress-induced gastric ulcerogenesis in rats

The amygdaloid complex and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) are both important in stress reactions and we thus evaluated the effects of intra-amygdalar CRF on stress ulceration in rats. Bilateral micro-applications of CRF (0.05, 0.5 or 5.0 micrograms) into the central amygdala (CEA) attenuated cold restraint-induced gastric mucosal lesions in a dose-related manner. Similar gastric cytoprotective effects were seen with intra-CEA noradrenaline (NA; 3.0 micrograms), whereas the NA neurotoxin, DSP-4 (25 micrograms), or the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol (1 microgram), aggravated stress ulcer pathology. Intra-CEA pretreatment with DSP-4 or propranolol clearly reversed the ulceroprotective effects of CRF during stress. These results indicate that the CEA is a neural substrate for CRF effects, and CRF-NA interactions in this limbic area are crucial for the regulation of stress ulcerogenesis.

Subtotal lesions of the amygdala: the rostral central nucleus in passive avoidance and ulceration

Rats received small bilateral electrolytic or ibotenate lesions of the rostral part of the amygdaloid central (rACE) or lateral (rAL) nuclei, or caudal part of the basolateral nuclei (cBL), or electrolytic lesions of the dorsal hippocampus (HIPP). All groups were tested in a drinking passive avoidance (PA) task that appears less sensitive to deficits in acquisition/retention or activity/spatial perception than are many other PA tasks, and more specifically sensitive to deficits in generation of fear. Consistent with this interpretation, performance in the task was facilitated, not deficient, in the HIPP group. Electrolytic lesions of rAL produced a mild deficit in PA, but ibotenate lesions did not, and neither did the more caudal lesions of the cBL groups. Ibotenate lesions of rACE did produce a deficit in PA, consistent with views of a role of this part of the amygdala in fear. Electrolytic lesions of rACE produced a very profound PA deficit and also blocked the rapid development of gastric erosions by water-restraint stress, effects that were not found with ibotenate lesions in this location. This suggests a particular contribution of fibers passing through rACE to some of the more marked effects of electrolytic lesions of rostrodorsal portions of the amygdala.

The neurobiology of stress ulcers

We have reviewed the neurobiology of stress ulcers from animal models to potential pharmacotherapeutic mechanisms. The evidence strongly supports the hypothesis that certain stress-related gastric lesions are 'brain-driven' events which may be more effectively managed through central manipulations than by altering local, gastric factors. Recent advances in the use of anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs in the management of stress-related gastric mucosal injury further supports the contention that a brain-gut axis, which may have nervous, peptidergic and classic monoaminergic components, modulates the intricate and complicated pattern of communication between the brain and the stomach. Delineation of the precise pathways which make up this communication as well as their manipulation by various pharmacological agents will be the focus of future research endeavour.