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van Rensburg DJ, Womersley JS, Martin L, Seedat S, Hemmings SMJ. Differential microRNA expression in adolescent anxiety proneness. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39189635 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Biological mechanisms underlying anxiety proneness (AP), the tendency to react fearfully to stressors due to the belief that experiencing anxiety has harmful consequences, remain unclear. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as microRNAs (small, non-coding RNAs 19-20 nucleotides long), may be contributory. This study investigated AP-associated differences in microRNA expression among South African adolescents with variable exposure to childhood trauma (CT). AP was assessed using a composite score reflecting trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, while CT exposure was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. High-quality total RNA (n = 88) extracted from whole blood underwent microRNA-sequencing. Differential microRNA expression analysis was conducted with DESeq2 in R, messenger RNA target prediction analysis was performed using TargetScan and DIANA-microT, and the DIANA mirPATH tool was used for KEGG pathway analysis. The majority of participants were female (75.86%) with an average age of 15 (±1.19) years. MicroRNA expression analysis identified upregulation of hsa-miR-28-5p and downregulation of hsa-miR-502-3p and hsa-miR-500a-3p in high-AP individuals, irrespective of CT. Four KEGG pathways, each with ≥10% of their constituent genes predicted to be targets of the differentially expressed microRNAs, were identified and were enriched for genes involved in calcineurin and glutamate signalling. These findings suggest that epigenetically mediated effects on neuronal function contribute to the molecular aetiology of AP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danièlle Jansen van Rensburg
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline Samantha Womersley
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Stellenbosch University/South African Medical Research Council Genomics of Brain Disorders Extramural Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lindi Martin
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Stellenbosch University/South African Medical Research Council Genomics of Brain Disorders Extramural Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sian Megan Joanna Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- Stellenbosch University/South African Medical Research Council Genomics of Brain Disorders Extramural Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
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Abdelkawy YS, Elharoun M, Sheta E, Abdel-Raheem IT, Nematalla HA. Liraglutide and Naringenin relieve depressive symptoms in mice by enhancing Neurogenesis and reducing inflammation. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 971:176525. [PMID: 38561101 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Depression is a debilitating mental disease that negatively impacts individuals' lives and society. Novel hypotheses have been recently proposed to improve our understanding of depression pathogenesis. Impaired neuroplasticity and upregulated neuro-inflammation add-on to the disturbance in monoamine neurotransmitters and therefore require novel anti-depressants to target them simultaneously. Recent reports demonstrate the antidepressant effect of the anti-diabetic drug liraglutide. Similarly, the natural flavonoid naringenin has shown both anti-diabetic and anti-depressant effects. However, the neuro-pharmacological mechanisms underlying their actions remain understudied. The study aims to evaluate the antidepressant effects and neuroprotective mechanisms of liraglutide, naringenin or a combination of both. Depression was induced in mice by administering dexamethasone (32 mcg/kg) for seven consecutive days. Liraglutide (200 mcg/kg), naringenin (50 mg/kg) and a combination of both were administered either simultaneously or after induction of depression for twenty-eight days. Behavioral and molecular assays were used to assess the progression of depressive symptoms and biomarkers. Liraglutide and naringenin alone or in combination alleviated the depressive behavior in mice, manifested by decrease in anxiety, anhedonia, and despair. Mechanistically, liraglutide and naringenin improved neurogenesis, decreased neuroinflammation and comparably restored the monoamines levels to that of the reference drug escitalopram. The drugs protected mice from developing depression when given simultaneously with dexamethasone. Collectively, the results highlight the usability of liraglutide and naringenin in the treatment of depression in mice and emphasize the different pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara S Abdelkawy
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22514, Egypt
| | - Mona Elharoun
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22514, Egypt
| | - Eman Sheta
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21131, Egypt
| | - Ihab Talat Abdel-Raheem
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22514, Egypt
| | - Hisham A Nematalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22514, Egypt.
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Sun Z, Zhang X, Dong Y, Liu Y, Wang C, Li Y, Ma C, Xu G, Wang S, Yang C, Zhang G, Cong B. Norepinephrine-Activated p38 MAPK Pathway Mediates Stress-Induced Cytotoxic Edema of Basolateral Amygdala Astrocytes. Brain Sci 2024; 14:161. [PMID: 38391735 PMCID: PMC10887202 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a core region in the limbic system that is highly sensitive to stress. Astrocytes are key players in stress disorders such as anxiety and depression. However, the effects of stress on the morphology and function of amygdala astrocytes and its potential mechanisms remain largely unknown. Hence, we performed in vivo and in vitro experiments using a restraint stress (RS) rat model and stress-induced astrocyte culture, respectively. Our data show that norepinephrine (NE) content increased, cytotoxic edema occurred, and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression was up-regulated in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) obtained from RS rats. Additionally, the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was also observed to be significantly activated in the BLA of rats subjected to RS. The administration of NE to in vitro astrocytes increased the AQP4 level and induced cell edema. Furthermore, p38 MAPK signaling was activated. The NE inhibitor alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT) alleviated cytotoxic edema in astrocytes, inhibited AQP4 expression, and inactivated the p38 MAPK pathway in RS rats. Meanwhile, in the in vitro experiment, the p38 MAPK signaling inhibitor SB203580 reversed NE-induced cytotoxic edema and down-regulated the expression of AQP4 in astrocytes. Briefly, NE-induced activation of the p38 MAPK pathway mediated cytotoxic edema in BLA astrocytes from RS rats. Thus, our data provide novel evidence that NE-induced p38 MAPK pathway activation may be one of the mechanisms leading to cytotoxic edema in BLA under stress conditions, which also could enable the development of an effective therapeutic strategy against cytotoxic edema in BLA under stress and provide new ideas for the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoling Sun
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yiming Dong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yichang Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong 226000, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yingmin Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chunling Ma
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guangming Xu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Songjun Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chenteng Yang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Guozhong Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Hebei Province Laboratory of Experimental Animal, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Bin Cong
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
- Hainan Tropical Forensic Medicine Academician Workstation, Haikou 571199, China
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Pujo JM, Fitriani DY, Ben Saad H, Ghariani M, Dghim A, Mellouli M, Burin A, Mutricy R, Houcke S, Roujansky A, Mansyur M, Nkontcho F, de Toffol B, Ben Amara I, Kallel H. The effects of prolonged stress exposure on the brain of rats and insights to understand the impact of work-related stress on caregivers. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1288814. [PMID: 38098499 PMCID: PMC10720043 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1288814] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Stress exposure is a significant concern in the healthcare sector. This animal model study aims to reproduce caregivers' working conditions and determine their impact on the brain. Method Twenty-four healthy male rats of the Wistar strain were divided into four groups. Three groups were submitted each to one stressor for 21 days, while the fourth group was used as a control. Stressors were food and water deprivation (FW), permanent illumination (PI), and forced swimming (FS). At the end of the experiment, rats were euthanized, and stress biomarkers, biological parameters, and DNA damage were measured. Results Prooxidant biomarker rates increased in the different groups (+50 to +75%) compared to the control (p < 0.0001). Urinary corticosterone rates increased in all stressed animals, mainly in the PI group, with changes of up to +50% compared to the control group. Acetylcholinesterase levels decreased to -50% (p < 0.0001 for the three exposed groups). Total ATPase, (Na+/K+)-ATPase, and Mg2+-ATPase activities decreased in all stressed groups. The percentage of brain cell congestion and apoptosis was 3% for the FW group (p < 0.0001), 2% for the PI group (p < 0.0001), and 4% for the FS group (p < 0.0001) compared to the control (0.8%). DNA damage was observed in all exposed groups. Finally, we noticed behavioral changes and a depression-like syndrome in all stressed rats. Conclusion Stressful conditions such as the working environment of caregivers can trigger several pathophysiological processes leading to oxidative, neurochemical, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal disorders. These changes can progress to cell damage and apoptosis in the brain and trigger psychological and physical disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marc Pujo
- Emergency Department, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Dewi Yunia Fitriani
- Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Occupational Medicine Specialist Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Occupational and Environmental Health Research Center, IMERI, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Hajer Ben Saad
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Environment Chemistry, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Marwa Ghariani
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Environment Chemistry, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Screening Processes (LPCMC), LR15CBS07, Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Amel Dghim
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Environment Chemistry, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Manel Mellouli
- Laboratory of Anatomopathology, CHU Habib Bourguiba, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Antoine Burin
- Emergency Department, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Remi Mutricy
- Emergency Department, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Stephanie Houcke
- Intensive Care Unit, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Ariane Roujansky
- Intensive Care Unit, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Muchtaruddin Mansyur
- Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Occupational Medicine Specialist Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Occupational and Environmental Health Research Center, IMERI, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Flaubert Nkontcho
- Pharmacy Department, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | | | - Ibtissem Ben Amara
- Laboratory of Medicinal and Environment Chemistry, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Hatem Kallel
- Intensive Care Unit, Cayenne General Hospital, Cayenne, French Guiana
- Tropical Biome and Immunopathology CNRS UMR-9017, Inserm U 1019, Université de Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
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