Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice
There is experimental evidence that chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by the development of an anxiety, development of a depression-like state, and downregulation of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. Our study was aimed at investigating the effects of chronic lithiu...
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/10/1293 |
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| author | Dmitry A. Smagin Irina L. Kovalenko Anna G. Galyamina Irina V. Belozertseva Nikolay V. Tamkovich Konstantin O. Baranov Natalia N. Kudryavtseva |
| author_facet | Dmitry A. Smagin Irina L. Kovalenko Anna G. Galyamina Irina V. Belozertseva Nikolay V. Tamkovich Konstantin O. Baranov Natalia N. Kudryavtseva |
| author_sort | Dmitry A. Smagin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is experimental evidence that chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by the development of an anxiety, development of a depression-like state, and downregulation of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. Our study was aimed at investigating the effects of chronic lithium chloride (LiCl) administration on anxiety behavior and the expression of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of the affected mice. A pronounced anxiety-like state in male mice was induced by chronic social defeat stress in daily agonistic interactions. After 6 days of this stress, defeated mice were chronically treated with saline or LiCl (100 mg/kg, i.p., 2 weeks) during the continuing agonistic interactions. Anxiety was assessed by behavioral tests. RT-PCR was used to determine <i>Tph2, Htr1a, Htr5b,</i> and <i>Slc6a4</i> mRNA expression. The results revealed anxiolytic-like effects of LiCl on social communication in the partition test and anxiogenic-like effects in both elevated plus-maze and social interaction tests. Chronic LiCl treatment upregulated serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei. Thus, LiCl effects depend on the treatment mode, psycho-emotional state of the animal, and experimental context (tests). It is assumed that increased expression of serotonergic genes is accompanied by serotonergic system activation and, as a side effect, by higher anxiety. |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:43:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-563492d48b2641adb984cce1509be8a32023-11-22T17:29:34ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592021-09-01910129310.3390/biomedicines9101293Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male MiceDmitry A. Smagin0Irina L. Kovalenko1Anna G. Galyamina2Irina V. Belozertseva3Nikolay V. Tamkovich4Konstantin O. Baranov5Natalia N. Kudryavtseva6FRC Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaFRC Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaFRC Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaValdman Institute of Pharmacology, First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg, 197022 St. Petersburg, RussiaBiolabmix, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaFRC Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, RussiaThere is experimental evidence that chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by the development of an anxiety, development of a depression-like state, and downregulation of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. Our study was aimed at investigating the effects of chronic lithium chloride (LiCl) administration on anxiety behavior and the expression of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of the affected mice. A pronounced anxiety-like state in male mice was induced by chronic social defeat stress in daily agonistic interactions. After 6 days of this stress, defeated mice were chronically treated with saline or LiCl (100 mg/kg, i.p., 2 weeks) during the continuing agonistic interactions. Anxiety was assessed by behavioral tests. RT-PCR was used to determine <i>Tph2, Htr1a, Htr5b,</i> and <i>Slc6a4</i> mRNA expression. The results revealed anxiolytic-like effects of LiCl on social communication in the partition test and anxiogenic-like effects in both elevated plus-maze and social interaction tests. Chronic LiCl treatment upregulated serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei. Thus, LiCl effects depend on the treatment mode, psycho-emotional state of the animal, and experimental context (tests). It is assumed that increased expression of serotonergic genes is accompanied by serotonergic system activation and, as a side effect, by higher anxiety.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/10/1293chronic social defeat stressanxietydepressionlithium chloridemice |
| spellingShingle | Dmitry A. Smagin Irina L. Kovalenko Anna G. Galyamina Irina V. Belozertseva Nikolay V. Tamkovich Konstantin O. Baranov Natalia N. Kudryavtseva Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice Biomedicines chronic social defeat stress anxiety depression lithium chloride mice |
| title | Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice |
| title_full | Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice |
| title_fullStr | Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice |
| title_short | Chronic Lithium Treatment Affects Anxious Behaviors and theExpression of Serotonergic Genes in Midbrain Raphe Nuclei of Defeated Male Mice |
| title_sort | chronic lithium treatment affects anxious behaviors and theexpression of serotonergic genes in midbrain raphe nuclei of defeated male mice |
| topic | chronic social defeat stress anxiety depression lithium chloride mice |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/10/1293 |
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