Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2016, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (9): 1471-1479.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.191222

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Serotonin regulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in select brain regions during acute psychological stress

De-guo Jiang1, #, Shi-li Jin2, #, Gong-ying Li2, 3, #, Qing-qing Li3, Zhi-ruo Li2, Hong-xia Ma3, Chuan-jun Zhuo1, 3, 4, *, Rong-huan Jiang5, *, Min-jie Ye6, *   

  1. 1 Department of Psychiatry, Wenzhou 7th People’s Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China 2 Department of Psychiatry, Second Affliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, Shandong Province, China 3 Department of Psychiatry, Jining Medical University, Jining, Shandong Province, China 4 Department of Psychiatry, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, China 5 Department of Psychological Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Department of Psychological Medicine, Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing, China 6 The Affliated Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • Received:2016-08-19 Online:2016-09-30 Published:2016-09-30
  • Contact: Chuan-jun Zhuo, Rong-huan Jiang, M.D. or Min-jie Ye, Ph.D., jiangrh55@126.com or mjyewmkhospital@163.com.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (ZR2011HM023 to GYL), the “11th Five-Year Plan”, National Supporting Program (2007BAI17B02 to GYL), the Science and Technology Project of Higher Education of Shandong Province of China (J10LF01 to GYL), a grant from Medical Science and Technology Development Project of Shandong Province of China (2011HZ011 to GYL), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (2012M 520585 to CJZ), the Fund of Tianjin Health Bureau of China (2014KR02 to CJZ), the Foundation of Hainan Li Ou Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and the Foundation of Xuzhou Enhua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of China.

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Abstract: Previous studies suggest that serotonin (5-HT) might interact with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) during the stress response. However, the relationship between 5-HT and BDNF expression under purely psychological stress is unclear. In this study, one hour before psychological stress exposure, the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT or antagonist MDL73005, or the 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI or antagonist ketanserin were administered to rats exposed to psychological stress. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization revealed that after psychological stress, with the exception of the ventral tegmental area, BDNF protein and mRNA expression levels were higher in the 5-HT1A and the 5-HT2A receptor agonist groups compared with the solvent control no-stress or psychological stress group in the CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, central amygdaloid nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, dentate gyrus, shell of the nucleus accumbens and the midbrain periaqueductal gray. There was no signifcant difference between the two agonist groups. In contrast, after stress exposure, BDNF protein and mRNA expression levels were lower in the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor antagonist groups than in the solvent control non-stress group, with the exception of the ventral tegmental area. Our fndings suggest that 5-HT regulates BDNF expression in a rat model of acute psychological stress.

Key words: nerve regeneration, psychological stress, serotonin, 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neural regeneration