Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2012, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (18): 1413-1419.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

L-tyrosine improves neuroendocrine function in a mouse model of chronic stress

Zhihua Wang1, Jinghua Li2, Zhiming Wang3, Lingyan Xue4, Yi Zhang1, Yingjie Chen5, Jun Su6, Zhongming Li5   

  1. 1  Department of Emergency, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming 650221, Yunnan Province, China
    2  Department of Ophthalmology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming 650221, Yunnan Province, China
    3  Department of Gastrointestinal Diseases, Yan-an Hospital, Kunming 650051, Yunnan Province, China
    4  Second Department of Internal Medicine of Wu-hua District People’s Hospital of Kunming, Kunming 650051, Yunnan Province, China
    5  Department of Anatomy, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650031,Yunnan Province, China
    6  Department of Orthopedics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650101, Yunnan Province, China
  • Received:2012-02-27 Revised:2012-05-15 Online:2012-06-25 Published:2012-06-25
  • Contact: Zhongming Li, Master, Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650031, Yunnan Province, China coppyy1998@163.com
  • About author:Zhihua Wang, Attending physician, Department of Emergency, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming 650221, Yunnan Province, China Zhihua Wang and Jinghua Li contributed equally to this paper.

PDF

923

Abstract:

Adult BALB/c mice, individually housed, were stimulated with nine different stressors, arranged randomly, for 4 continuous weeks to generate an animal model of chronic stress. In chronically stressed mice, spontaneous locomotor activity was significantly decreased, escape latency in the Morris water maze test was prolonged, serum levels of total thyrotropin and total triiodothyronine were significantly decreased, and dopamine and norepinephrine content in the pallium, hippocampus and hypothalamus were significantly reduced. All of these changes were suppressed, to varying degrees, by L-tyrosine supplementation. These findings indicate that the neuroendocrine network plays an important role in chronic stress, and that L-tyrosine supplementation has therapeutic effects.

Key words: chronic unpredictable stress, neuroendocrine network, total thyrotropin, total triiodothyronine, dopamine, norepinephrine, L-tyrosine, neural regeneration