title: Effects of bacterial superantigens on behavior of mice in the elevated plus maze and light-dark box.
abstract: Bacterial superantigens, such as staphylococcal enteroxins A and B (SEA/SEB) stimulate T cells to produce high levels of cytokines in blood. Previously it had been shown that these toxins were capable of stimulating increased neuroendocrine activity and enhanced behavioral reactivity to novel gustatory and non-gustatory stimuli. Therefore, it was suggested that these superantigens may promote anxiety-like behavior. In the current set of experiments, BALB/cByJ and C57BL/6J male mice were challenged with either SEB (50 microg) or SEA (5 or 10 microg) and tested for behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM). Results suggested an absence of increased anxiety-like behavior, with exploration of the open arms being enhanced by SEA or SEB treatment. In another test of anxiety, the light-dark box, SEB challenge of BALB/cByJ mice 90 min prior to testing, did not alter exit latency, activity nor time spent in the dark. However, in a second experiment, it was found that if animals were first tested for consumption, followed by testing in the light-dark box, SEB challenged animals displayed increased exit latency and reduced exploration. These studies suggest that in standard tests of rodent anxiety-like behavior, evidence for the induction of anxiety-like processes subsequent to challenge with SEA or SEB is not patently discernable. However, neurobiological events induced by immunological challenge might synergize with reactivity to psychogenic and/or gustatory stimuli, thereby resulting in increased anxiety-like behavior that could be unmasked by standard behavioral tests such as the light-dark box or EPM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscatway, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi-George
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneta
authors.forename: Daniella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Urbach
authors.forename: Alexander W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kusnecov
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000276:immunology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000276:immunology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000276:immunology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal