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Serotonin Receptors as Therapeutic Targets for Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23126515. [PMID: 35742963 PMCID: PMC9223717 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive and stereotyped behaviors as well as difficulties with social interaction and communication. According to reports for prevalence rates of ASD, approximately 1~2% of children worldwide have been diagnosed with ASD. Although there are a couple of FDA (Food and Drug Administration)—approved drugs for ASD treatment such as aripiprazole and risperidone, they are efficient for alleviating aggression, hyperactivity, and self-injury but not the core symptoms. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) as a neurotransmitter plays a crucial role in the early neurodevelopmental stage. In particular, 5-HT has been known to regulate a variety of neurobiological processes including neurite outgrowth, dendritic spine morphology, shaping neuronal circuits, synaptic transmission, and synaptic plasticity. Given the roles of serotonergic systems, the 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs) become emerging as potential therapeutic targets in the ASD. In this review, we will focus on the recent development of small molecule modulators of 5-HTRs as therapeutic targets for the ASD treatment.
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Hanswijk SI, Spoelder M, Shan L, Verheij MMM, Muilwijk OG, Li W, Liu C, Kolk SM, Homberg JR. Gestational Factors throughout Fetal Neurodevelopment: The Serotonin Link. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E5850. [PMID: 32824000 PMCID: PMC7461571 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical player in brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders. Fetal 5-HT levels can be influenced by several gestational factors, such as maternal genotype, diet, stress, medication, and immune activation. In this review, addressing both human and animal studies, we discuss how these gestational factors affect placental and fetal brain 5-HT levels, leading to changes in brain structure and function and behavior. We conclude that gestational factors are able to interact and thereby amplify or counteract each other's impact on the fetal 5-HT-ergic system. We, therefore, argue that beyond the understanding of how single gestational factors affect 5-HT-ergic brain development and behavior in offspring, it is critical to elucidate the consequences of interacting factors. Moreover, we describe how each gestational factor is able to alter the 5-HT-ergic influence on the thalamocortical- and prefrontal-limbic circuitry and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical-axis. These alterations have been associated with risks to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, depression, and/or anxiety. Consequently, the manipulation of gestational factors may be used to combat pregnancy-related risks for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina I. Hanswijk
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Marcia Spoelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Ling Shan
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Michel M. M. Verheij
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Otto G. Muilwijk
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Weizhuo Li
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China; (W.L.); (C.L.)
| | - Chunqing Liu
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China; (W.L.); (C.L.)
| | - Sharon M. Kolk
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Judith R. Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
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Liu G, Wang Y, Zheng W, Cheng H, Zhou R. P11 Loss-of-Function is Associated with Decreased Cell Proliferation and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Mice. Int J Biol Sci 2019; 15:1383-1395. [PMID: 31337969 PMCID: PMC6643149 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.33773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although depression is associated with anxiety and memory deficit in humans, the molecular mechanisms of the complication remain largely unknown. In this study, we generated P11 knockout mice using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, as well as P11 knockout MEF cell lines, and confirmed depression-like phenotype. We observed that knockout of P11 in MEFs led to a decreased cell proliferation compared with P11+/+ MEFs. Moreover, P11 knockout resulted in a larger cell size, which resulted probably from accumulated F-actin stress fibers. The number of proliferating cells was decreased in the hippocampus of P11 KO mice. We observed anxiety-like disorder in addition to depression phenotype in the knockout mice. In addition, knockout of P11 led to memory deficit in female mice, but not in males. These data indicated that P11 is involved in regulating cell proliferation and cell size. The molecular associations of depression behavior with anxiety and memory deficit suggested a potential approach to improve therapeutic intervention through P11 in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Hanhua Cheng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
| | - Rongjia Zhou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China
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Zammataro M, Merlo S, Barresi M, Parenti C, Hu H, Sortino MA, Chiechio S. Chronic Treatment with Fluoxetine Induces Sex-Dependent Analgesic Effects and Modulates HDAC2 and mGlu2 Expression in Female Mice. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:743. [PMID: 29104538 PMCID: PMC5654865 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gender and sex differences in pain recognition and drug responses have been reported in clinical trials and experimental models of pain. Among antidepressants, contradictory results have been observed in patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This study evaluated sex differences in response to the SSRI fluoxetine after chronic administration in the mouse formalin test. Adult male and female CD1 mice were intraperitoneally injected with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) for 21 days and subjected to pain assessment. Fluoxetine treatment reduced the second phase of the formalin test only in female mice without producing behavioral changes in males. We also observed that fluoxetine was able to specifically increase the expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor type-2 (mGlu2) in females. Also a reduced expression of the epigenetic modifying enzyme, histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and dorsal horn (DH) together with an increase histone 3 acetylation (H3) level was observed in females but not in males. With this study we provide evidence that fluoxetine induces sex specific changes in HDAC2 and mGlu2 expression in the DH of the spinal cord and in DRGs and suggests a molecular explanation for the analgesic effects in female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda Zammataro
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Sara Merlo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Carmela Parenti
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Huijuan Hu
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Maria A Sortino
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Santina Chiechio
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Millard SJ, Weston-Green K, Newell KA. The effects of maternal antidepressant use on offspring behaviour and brain development: Implications for risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017. [PMID: 28629713 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Approximately 10% of pregnant women are prescribed antidepressant drugs (ADDs), with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) the most widely prescribed. SSRIs bind to the serotonin transporter (SERT), blocking the reabsorption of serotonin by the presynaptic neuron and increasing serotonin levels in the synaptic cleft. The serotonergic system regulates a range of brain development processes including neuronal proliferation, migration, differentiation and synaptogenesis. Given the presence of SERT in early brain development, coupled with the ability of SSRIs to cross the placenta and also enter breast milk, concerns have been raised regarding the effects of SSRI exposure on the developing foetus and newborns. In this review, we evaluate preclinical and clinical studies that have examined the effects of maternal SSRI exposure and the risk for altered neurodevelopment and associated behaviours in offspring. While the current body of evidence suggests that maternal SSRI treatment may cause perturbations to the neurobiology, behaviour and ultimately risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in exposed offspring, conflicting findings do exist and the evidence is not conclusive. However, given the increasing incidence of depression and number of women prescribed ADDs during pregnancy, further investigation into this area is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Millard
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
| | - Katrina Weston-Green
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
| | - Kelly A Newell
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
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