Expressions of hypothalamus BDNF and GAP-43 and their relation with behavior changes in response to restraint stress in rats / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expressions of brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) in the hypothalamus of rats inflicted with restraint stress and their relationship with behavioral changes.Methods Forty male SD rats were divided into control group,restraint stress 7-day group,restraint stress 14-day group,restraint stress 21-day group according to the random number table,with 10 rats per group.Behavior changes were observed by open-field test,serum levels of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and expressions of BDNF and GAP-43 in the hypothalamus by western blotting.Results Restraint stress 7-day group exhibited increases in spanning lattice times (50.0 ± 7.0),standing times (11.4 ± 2.1)and modification times (11.2 ± 2.7) compared with all other groups (P ＜ 0.05).Restraint stress 14-day group and restraint stress 21-day group showed significant decreases in spanning lattice times (35.5 ±7.5,29.4 ± 6.8),standing times (7.8 ± 4.9,5.6 ± 3.9) and modification times (6.7 ± 2.9,4.4 ±2.6) compared with control group (42.6 ± 5.4,8.9 ± 4.3,and 7.9 ± 3.0) (P ＜ 0.05).Restraint 14-day and 21-day groups showed significant increases in serum CRH level [(750.73 ± 123.68) pg/ml and (793.06 ± 115.84)pg/ml] compared with that in restraint stress 7-day group [(500.48 ± 88.71)pg/ml,P ＜0.05],but all were lower than (336.72 ±45.34) pg/ml in control group (P ＜0.05).Levels of BDNF and GAP-43 in the hypothalamus were the lowest in control group (0.672 ± 0.185 and 0.694 ±0.253).However,restraint stress increased the expressions of BDNF and GAP-43 in the hypothalamus,with the highest level in restraint stress 21-day group (1.357 ± 0.524 and 1.486 ± 0.679) (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Restraim stress can up-regulate BDNF and GAP-43 proteins in the hypothalamus,and lead to plasticity changes that may relate to stress-related behavior.