The Glucocorticoid Analog Dexamethasone Alters the Expression and the Distribution of Dopamine Receptors and Enkephalin within Cortico- Subcortical Regions

Activation of dopamine receptor D1 promotes osteogenic differentiation and reduces glucocorticoid-induced bone loss by upregulating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

Background

The inhibition of osteogenic differentiation is a major factor in glucocorticoid-induced bone loss, but there is currently no effective treatment. Dopamine, a major neurotransmitter, transmits signals via five different seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors termed D1 to D5. Although the relevance of the neuroendocrine system in bone metabolism has emerged, the precise effects of dopamine receptor signaling on osteoblastogenesis remain unknown.

Methods

In vitro, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining were used to observe the expression of dopamine receptors in MC3T3-E1 and BMSCs cells treated with dexamethasone (Dex). In addition, Alizarin red S (ARS) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of D1R activation on osteogenic differentiation in Dex-induced MC3T3-E1 cells via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In vivo, micro-CT and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), toluidine blue and immunohistochemical staining were used to determine the effect of D1R activation on Dex-induced bone loss.

Results

We demonstrated that the trend in D1R but not D2-5R was consistent with that of osteogenic markers in the presence of Dex. We also demonstrated that the activation of D1R promoted Dex-induced osteogenic differentiation by activating the ERK1/2 pathway in vitro. We further demonstrated that a D1R agonist could reduce Dex-induced bone loss, while pretreatment with a D1R inhibitor blocked the effect of a D1R agonist in vivo.

Conclusions

Activation of D1R promotes osteogenic differentiation and reduces Dex-induced bone loss by activating the ERK1/2 pathway. Hence, D1R could serve as a potential therapeutic target for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-022-00453-0.

Enhanced Intracranial Microdialysis by Reduction of Traumatic Penetration Injury at the Probe Track

Microdialysis provides deep insight into chemical neuroscience by enabling in vivo intracranial chemical monitoring. Nevertheless, implanting a microdialysis probe causes a traumatic penetration injury (TPI) of brain tissue at the probe track. The TPI, which is clearly documented by voltammetry and histochemical imaging, is a drawback because it perturbs the exact tissue from which the brain dialysate samples are derived. Our goal is to reduce, if not eventually eliminate, the TPI and its detrimental effects on neurochemical monitoring. Here, we demonstrate that combining a 5-day wait period after probe implantation with the continuous retrodialysis of a low-micromolar concentration of dexamethasone vastly reduces the TPI. Our approach to reducing the TPI reinstates normal evoked dopamine release activity in the tissue adjacent to the microdialysis probe, brings evoked dopamine release at the probe outlet into quantitative agreement with evoked dopamine release next to the probe, reinstates normal immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase and the dopamine transporter near the probe track, and greatly suppresses glial activation and scaring near the probe track. This reduction of the TPI and reinstatement of normal evoked dopamine release activity adjacent to the probe track appears to be due to dexamethasone's anti-inflammatory actions.

Glucocorticoid receptor mediated the propofol self-administration by dopamine D1 receptor in nucleus accumbens

Propofol, a widely used anesthetic, can cause addictive behaviors in both human and experimental animals. In the present study, we examined the involvement of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling in the molecular process by which propofol may cause addiction. The propofol self-administration model was established by a fixed ratio 1 (FR1) schedule of reinforced dosing over successive 14days in rats. On day 15, the rats were treated with dexamethasone, a GR agonist (10-100μg/kg), or RU486, a GR antagonist (10-100μg/kg) at 1h prior to the last training. The animal behaviors were recorded automatically by the computer. The expression of dopamine D1 receptor in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was examined by Western blot and the concentrations of plasma corticosterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To further examine the specificity of GR in the process, mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, spironolactone, and dexamethasone plus MR agonist, aldosterone, were also tested. Administration of dexamethasone (100μg/kg) or RU486 (⩾10mg/kg) significantly attenuated the rate of propofol maintained active nose-poke responses and infusions, which were accompanied by reductions in both plasma corticosterone level and the expression of D1 receptor in the NAc. Neither spironolactone alone nor dexamethasone combined with aldosterone affected the propofol-maintaining self-administrative behavior, indicating GR, but not MR, modulates the propofol reward in rats. In addition, neither the food-maintaining sucrose responses under FR1 schedule nor the locomotor activity was affected by any doses of dexamethasone or RU486 tested. These findings provide evidence that GR signaling may play an important role in propofol reward.

Implications of circadian rhythm and stress in addiction vulnerability

In the face of chronic stress, some individuals can maintain normal function while others go on to develop mental illness. Addiction, affecting one in every twelve people in America, is a substance use disorder long associated with stressful life events and disruptions in the sleep/wake cycle. The circadian and stress response systems have evolved to afford adaptability to environmental changes and allow for maintenance of functional stability, or homeostasis. This mini-review will discuss how circadian rhythms and stress individually affect drug response, affect each other, and how their interactions may regulate reward-related behavior. In particular, we will focus on the interactions between the circadian clock and the regulation of glucocorticoids by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Determining how these two systems act on dopaminergic reward circuitry may not only reveal the basis for vulnerability to addiction, but may also illuminate potential therapeutic targets for future investigation.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2013

This paper is the thirty-sixth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2013 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior, and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia; stress and social status; tolerance and dependence; learning and memory; eating and drinking; alcohol and drugs of abuse; sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology; mental illness and mood; seizures and neurologic disorders; electrical-related activity and neurophysiology; general activity and locomotion; gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions; cardiovascular responses; respiration and thermoregulation; and immunological responses.