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De Luca SN, Chan SMH, Dobric A, Wang H, Seow HJ, Brassington K, Mou K, Alateeq R, Akhtar A, Bozinovski S, Vlahos R. Cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary impairment is associated with social recognition memory impairments and alterations in microglial profiles within the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 109:292-307. [PMID: 36775074 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major, incurable respiratory condition that is primarily caused by cigarette smoking (CS). Neurocognitive disorders including cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in people with COPD. It is understood that increased lung inflammation and oxidative stress from CS exposure may 'spill over' into the systemic circulation to promote the onset of these extra-pulmonary comorbidities, and thus impacts the quality of life of people with COPD. The precise role of the 'spill-over' of inflammation and oxidative stress in the onset of COPD-related neurocognitive disorders are unclear. The present study investigated the impact of chronic CS exposure on anxiety-like behaviors and social recognition memory, with a particular focus on the role of the 'spill-over' of inflammation and oxidative stress from the lungs. Adult male BALB/c mice were exposed to either room air (sham) or CS (9 cigarettes per day, 5 days a week) for 24 weeks and were either daily co-administered with the NOX2 inhibitor, apocynin (5 mg/kg, in 0.01 % DMSO diluted in saline, i.p.) or vehicle (0.01 % DMSO in saline) one hour before the initial CS exposure of the day. After 23 weeks, mice underwent behavioral testing and physiological diurnal rhythms were assessed by monitoring diurnal regulation profiles. Lungs were collected and assessed for hallmark features of COPD. Consistent with its anti-inflammatory and oxidative stress properties, apocynin treatment partially lessened lung inflammation and lung function decline in CS mice. CS-exposed mice displayed marked anxiety-like behavior and impairments in social recognition memory compared to sham mice, which was prevented by apocynin treatment. Apocynin was unable to restore the decreased Bmal1-positive cells, key in cells in diurnal regulation, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus to that of sham levels. CS-exposed mice treated with apocynin was associated with a restoration of microglial area per cell and basal serum corticosterone. This data suggests that we were able to model the CS-induced social recognition memory impairments seen in humans with COPD. The preventative effects of apocynin on memory impairments may be via a microglial dependent mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone N De Luca
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stanley M H Chan
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aleksandar Dobric
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hao Wang
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Huei Jiunn Seow
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kurt Brassington
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kevin Mou
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rana Alateeq
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alina Akhtar
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steven Bozinovski
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ross Vlahos
- Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
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Effects of Group Size on Behavior, Reproduction, and mRNA Expression in Brains of Brandt's Voles. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020311. [PMID: 36831854 PMCID: PMC9954483 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
For social animals, a moderate group size is greatly important to maintain their reproductive success. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanism of group size on behavior and reproduction has rarely been investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of group size (1, 2, 4 pairs of adult male and female voles raised per cage) on behavior and reproduction. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression of stress and reproduction response-related genes in male brains was detected. We found that Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) in the large-sized group fight more severely than those in the small-sized group. Meanwhile, male voles were more anxious than females. The average number of embryos and litters per female in the medium-sized group was significantly higher than that of large-sized group. In male voles, stress- or reproduction-response mRNA expressions were more related to final group size or final density due to death caused by fighting. Our results indicated that a moderate group size was beneficial to the reproductive output of Brandt's voles. Our study highlights the combined effects of stress- or reproduction-related gene expression or behavior in regulating the fitness of voles with different group sizes.
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Interspecific differences in sociability, social novelty preference, anxiety- and depression-like behaviors between Brandt's voles and C57BL/6J mice. Behav Processes 2022; 197:104624. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Huang S, Li G, Pan Y, Liu J, Zhao J, Zhang X, Lu W, Wan X, Krebs CJ, Wang Z, Han W, Zhang Z. Population variation alters aggression-associated oxytocin and vasopressin expressions in brains of Brandt's voles in field conditions. Front Zool 2021; 18:56. [PMID: 34717666 PMCID: PMC8557550 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00441-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Density-dependent change in aggressive behavior contributes to the population regulation of many small rodents, but the underlying neurological mechanisms have not been examined in field conditions. We hypothesized that crowding stress and aggression-associated oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in specific regions of the brain may be closely related to aggressive behaviors and population changes of small rodents. We analyzed the association of OT and AVP expression, aggressive behavior, and population density of Brandt’s voles in 24 large semi-natural enclosures (0.48 ha each) in Inner Mongolia grassland. We tested the effects of population density on the OT/AVP system and aggressive behavior by experimentally manipulating populations of Brandt’s voles in the grassland enclosures. High density was positively and significantly associated with more aggressive behavior, and increased expression of mRNA and protein of AVP and its receptor, but decreased expression of mRNA and protein of OT and its receptor in specific brain regions of the voles. Our study suggests that changes in OT/AVP expression are likely a result of the increased psychosocial stress that these voles experience during overcrowding, and thus the OT/AVP system can be used as indicators of density-dependent stressors in Brandt’s voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuli Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guoliang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yongliang Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,School of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China
| | - Jing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jidong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wei Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xinrong Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Charles J Krebs
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1270, USA
| | - Wenxuan Han
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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Huang S, Li G, Pan Y, Song M, Zhao J, Wan X, Krebs CJ, Wang Z, Han W, Zhang Z. Density-induced social stress alters oxytocin and vasopressin activities in the brain of a small rodent species. Integr Zool 2020; 16:149-159. [PMID: 32652776 PMCID: PMC7891312 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
It is known that social stress could alter oxytocin (OT) and arginine‐vasopressin (AVP) expression in specific regions of brains which regulate the aggressive behavior of small rodents, but the effects of density‐induced social stress are still unknown. Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) are small herbivores in the grassland of China, but the underlying neurological mechanism of population regulation is still unknown. We tested the effects of housing density of Brandt's voles on OT/AVP system with physical contact (allowing aggression) and without physical contact (not allowing aggression) under laboratory conditions. Then, we tested the effects of paired‐aggression (no density effect) of Brandt's voles on OT/AVP system under laboratory conditions. We hypothesized that high density would increase aggression among animals which would then increase AVP but reduce OT in brains of animals. Our results showed that high housing density induced more aggressive behavior. We found high‐density‐induced social stress (with or without physical contact) and direct aggression significantly increased expression of mRNA and protein of AVP and its receptor, but decreased expression of mRNA and protein of OT and its receptor in specific brain regions of voles. The results suggest that density‐dependent change of OT/AVP systems may play a significant role in the population regulation of small rodents by altering density‐dependent aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuli Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoliang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongliang Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,School of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou, China
| | - Mingjing Song
- Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, National Health Commission of China (NHC), Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Diseases, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Peking Union Medicine College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jidong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinrong Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Charles J Krebs
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zuoxin Wang
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Wenxuan Han
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Coprophagy prevention alters microbiome, metabolism, neurochemistry, and cognitive behavior in a small mammal. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:2625-2645. [PMID: 32632263 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0711-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Many small mammals engage in coprophagy, or the behavior of consuming feces, as a means to meet nutritional requirements when feeding on low-quality foods. In addition to nutritional benefits, coprophagy may also help herbivores retain necessary gut microbial diversity and function, which may have downstream physiological effects, such as maintaining energy balance and cognitive function. Here, we used collars to prevent Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) from engaging in coprophagy and monitored changes in microbial community structure, energy metabolism, and cognitive performance. In this research, we found that coprophagy prevention decreased alpha diversity of the gut microbiota, and altered proportions of microbial taxa such as Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Oscillospira. Preventing coprophagy resulted in a reduced body mass, and increased food intake. Importantly, coprophagy prevention decreased vole cognitive behavior and altered levels of neurotransmitters in brain. Daily acetate administration was able to reverse some of the coprophagy prevention-induced changes in microbiota composition, metabolism, neurochemistry, and cognitive behavior. These findings identify the functional importance of coprophagy behavior and interactions between the gut microbiota, energy metabolism, and neurological function. Our results suggest that coprophagy contributes to stabilizing the gut microbiota, promoting microbial metabolism, maintaining host energy balance and, consequently, altering cognitive performance.
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