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Stark T, Iannotti FA, Di Martino S, Di Bartolomeo M, Ruda-Kucerova J, Piscitelli F, Wotjak CT, D’Addario C, Drago F, Di Marzo V, Micale V. Early Blockade of CB1 Receptors Ameliorates Schizophrenia-like Alterations in the Neurodevelopmental MAM Model of Schizophrenia. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12010108. [PMID: 35053256 PMCID: PMC8773886 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In agreement with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, prenatal exposure of Sprague-Dawley rats to the antimitotic agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 produces long-lasting behavioral alterations such as social withdrawal and cognitive impairment in adulthood, mimicking a schizophrenia-like phenotype. These abnormalities were preceded at neonatal age both by the delayed appearance of neonatal reflexes, an index of impaired brain maturation, and by higher 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) brain levels. Schizophrenia-like deficits were reversed by early treatment [from postnatal day (PND) 2 to PND 8] with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 (0.5 mg/kg/day). By contrast, early CB1 blockade affected the behavioral performance of control rats which was paralleled by enhanced 2-AG content in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These results suggest that prenatal MAM insult leads to premorbid anomalies at neonatal age via altered tone of the endocannabinoid system, which may be considered as an early marker preceding the development of schizophrenia-like alterations in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Stark
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.S.); (J.R.-K.)
- Scientific Core Unit Neuroimaging, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Fabio Arturo Iannotti
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
| | - Serena Di Martino
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
| | - Martina Di Bartolomeo
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.D.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Jana Ruda-Kucerova
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; (T.S.); (J.R.-K.)
| | - Fabiana Piscitelli
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
| | - Carsten T. Wotjak
- Central Nervous System Diseases Research (CNSDR), Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG, 88397 Biberach an der Riss, Germany;
| | - Claudio D’Addario
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.D.B.); (C.D.)
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
| | - Vincenzo Di Marzo
- Endocannabinoid Research Group, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (F.A.I.); (F.P.); (V.D.M.)
- Canada Excellence Research Chair on the Microbiome-Endocannabinoidome Axis in Metabolic Health, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de l’Université et Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels, Centre NUTRISS, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Micale
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (S.D.M.); (F.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-095-4781199
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