RESUMEN
Antidepressant drugs as well as electroconvulsive stimuli can significantly influence brain concentrations of neurotrophic factors. However, it is not known whether the baseline brain concentrations of neurotrophic factors are altered in human subjects suffering from affective disorders or whether there are sex differences in concentrations of neurotrophins in human brain. In order to elucidate some of these questions, we measured by ELISA brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in an animal model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rats and their controls, the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL). Altered BDNF and NGF concentrations were found in frontal cortex, occipital cortex, and hypothalamus of depressed FSL compared to FRL control rats. Furthermore, different levels of these neurotrophins were also found in the male and female brain. Cumulatively these observations suggest that BDNF and NGF may play a role in depression and, hypothetically, different brain regional concentrations of BDNF and NGF in male and female animals may be relevant to gender differences in vulnerability to depression.
Asunto(s)
Factor Neurotrófico Derivado del Encéfalo/análisis , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Depresión/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Nervioso/análisis , Animales , Encéfalo/patología , Química Encefálica/genética , Cuerpo Estriado/química , Cuerpo Estriado/metabolismo , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Lóbulo Frontal/química , Lóbulo Frontal/metabolismo , Hipotálamo/química , Hipotálamo/metabolismo , Técnicas In Vitro , Masculino , Lóbulo Occipital/química , Lóbulo Occipital/metabolismo , Tamaño de los Órganos , Ratas , Ratas Endogámicas , Factores SexualesRESUMEN
Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni were used to investigate the role of the submaxillary salivary gland and nerve growth factor (NGF) in temperature response. The results showed that the infection increased (36.5 +/- 0.3 vs 35.7 +/- 0.2), while sialoadenectomy decreased (34.4 +/- 0.2 vs 35.1 +/- 0.2) body temperature. These temperature changes were associated with high or low circulating NGF levels, respectively. It was also found that infection altered the distribution of oxytocin-positive neurones in the hypothalamus and that administration of 20 mu g of purified NGF in normal mice raised (36.1 +/- 0.2 vs 35.1 +/- 0.2) and of NGF antibodies decreased (34.0 +/- 0.2 vs 35.1 +/- 0.2) body temperature. Taken together, these observations suggest that salivary NGF influences the temperature set-point in adult rodents, but the mechanism regulating these events remains to be elucidated.