Postpartum depression in rats: Differences in swim test immobility, sucrose preference and nurturing behaviors

Fernandez, Jamie Winderbaum; Grizzell, J. Alex; Philpot, Rex M.; Wecker, Lynn

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.06.041

Cited by 31 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Mild depressive symptoms are followed after delivery, and approximately 50% of women experience ‘postpartum blues’ (Fernandez et al, 2014). Postpartum blues occur in 15%–85% of women within the first 10 days after delivery (Henshaw, 2003), and it is also a psychiatric disorder that occurs in 10%–15% of childbearing women (Arbabi et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treadmill exercise ameliorates depressive symptoms through increasing serotonin expression in postpartum depression rats

Lee

Kim

et al. 2017

J Exerc Rehabil

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Postpartum depression (PPD) is defined as the depressive symptoms that occur from the moment of delivery until 12 months after delivery. PPD symptoms are closely associated with reduced activity of the serotonergic system. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of depression. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step of 5-HT biosynthesis in the serotonergic neurons. Exercise exerts anti-depressive effect on depression patients as well as on animal models of depression. In the present study, the effect of treadmill exercise on PPD was investigated using rats. For this study, open field test for activity and forced swimming test for depressive symptoms, and immunohistochemistry for 5-HT and TPH were conducted. The rats in the exercise groups were forced to run on a motorized treadmill for 30 min once a day for 2 weeks. Activity in the open field test was decreased in the postpartum rats, however, performing treadmill running increased activity in the postpartum rats. The climbing time was decreased and the immobility time was increased in the postpartum rats. Treadmill exercise increased climbing time and suppressed immobility time in the postpartum rats. 5-HT and TPH expressions in the dorsal raphe were suppressed in the postpartum rats, and treadmill exercise enhanced 5-HT and TPH expressions in the postpartum rats. Treadmill exercise ameliorated the PPD very effectively by enhancing serotonin level.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treadmill exercise ameliorates depressive symptoms through increasing serotonin expression in postpartum depression rats

Lee

Kim

et al. 2017

J Exerc Rehabil

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“…Most studies use SPT, FST, or TST in laboratory animals (Babri et al, 2014; Fernandez et al, 2014; Ge et al, 2014) to characterize PPD-related behavior. However, a single behavioral disturbance is likely not sufficient (Anisman and Matheson, 2005), and a wide divergence may exist in different depressive-like behaviors (Fernandez et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, a single behavioral disturbance is likely not sufficient (Anisman and Matheson, 2005), and a wide divergence may exist in different depressive-like behaviors (Fernandez et al, 2014). In our present study, the TPOAb-positive group displayed depressive behavior as indicated by significant decreases in the SP at the 12-h time point and by increases in immobility during the FSTs and TSTs, which are in agreement with the clinical conclusions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody Increases Risk of Post-partum Depression by Decreasing Prefrontal Cortex BDNF and 5-HT Levels in Mice

Zhou

Wang²,

Zhao³

et al. 2017

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

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Post-partum depression (PPD) is a common mental disease in the perinatal period that profoundly affects mothers and their offspring. Some clinical studies have found that PPD is related to thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs); however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. Female C57BL/6 mice immunized with adenovirus encoding the cDNA of the full-length mTPO (mTPO-Ad) were used to establish the isolated TPOAb-positive mouse model in the present study. Maternal depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference test (SPT), and tail suspension test (TST) post-partum. The serum TPOAb titer was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before pregnancy and post-partum. Furthermore, in the prefrontal cortex, the mRNA and protein expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were measured, serotonin (5-HT) levels were measured by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass-spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS), and total thyroxine (TT4) levels were determined by ELISA. Compared with the controls, the mice immunized with mTPO-Ad displayed depressive behaviors, with a significantly lower sucrose preference (SP) at the 12-h time point and a longer immobility time in the FST and TST, which were accompanied by a lower expression of BDNF and 5-HT but no change in the TT4 concentration in the prefrontal cortex. Together, these findings suggest that elevated TPOAb may increase the risk of subsequent PPD and decrease the concentration of BDNF and 5-HT in the prefrontal cortex.

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“…Estrogen and progesterone contribute to maternal adaptations during pregnancy, but they are not required for the maintenance of maternal responsiveness, and even ovariectomized female rats can be induced into a fully maternal state by prolonged pup exposure [1]. Furthermore, motivational and emotional states also change in rats in the postpartum period [32,33]. Therefore, we hypothesized that the behavioral and emotional changes in rat mothers are accompanied by alterations in the brain at the protein level.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal alterations in the proteome of the medial prefrontal cortex in rat

Völgyi

Udvari²,

Szabó³

et al. 2017

Journal of Proteomics

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Proteomic differences between rat dams and control mothers deprived of their pups immediately after delivery were investigated in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).A 2-D DIGE minimal dye technique combined with LC-MS/MS identified 32 different proteins that showed significant changes in expression in the mPFC, of which, 25were upregulated and 7 were downregulated in dams. The identity of one significantly increased protein, the small heat-shock protein alpha-crystallin B chain (Cryab), was confirmed via Western blot analysis. Alpha-crystallin B chain was distributed in scattered cells in the mPFC, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, it was found to be localized in parvalbumin-containing neurons using double labeling. The elevation of its mRNA level in rat dams was also demonstrated via RT-PCR.The functional classification of the altered proteins was conducted using the UniProt and Gene Ontology protein databases. The identified proteins predominantly participate in synaptic transport and plasticity, neuron development, oxidative stress and apoptosis, and cytoskeleton organization. A common regulator and target analysis of these proteins determined using the Elsevier Pathway Studio Platform suggests that protein level changes associated with pup nursing are driven by growth factors and cytokines, while the MAP kinase pathway was identified as a common target. A high proportion of the proteins that were found to be altered in the mPFC are associated with depression. Biological significanceThe behavior and emotional state of females change robustly when they become mothers. The brain, which governs these changes, may also undergo molecular alterations in mothers. As no proteomics approaches have been applied regarding maternal changes in the brain, we addressed this issue in the mPFC as this brain area is the uppermost cortical center Alpha-crystallin B chain, a protein confirmed to be increased during maternal behaviors, was selectively found in parvalbumin cells, which, as fast-spiking interneurons, are associated with depression. The function of alpha-crystallin B chain should be further investigated to establish whether it can be used to identify drug targets for future drug development.

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Postpartum depression in rats: Differences in swim test immobility, sucrose preference and nurturing behaviors

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

Treadmill exercise ameliorates depressive symptoms through increasing serotonin expression in postpartum depression rats

Treadmill exercise ameliorates depressive symptoms through increasing serotonin expression in postpartum depression rats

Elevated Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody Increases Risk of Post-partum Depression by Decreasing Prefrontal Cortex BDNF and 5-HT Levels in Mice

Maternal alterations in the proteome of the medial prefrontal cortex in rat

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