title: Melatonin increases NMDA receptor subunits 2A and 2B concentrations in rat hippocampus.
abstract: We investigated that the effects of melatonin on N-methyl-D: -aspartat receptor (NMDAR) subunits 2A and 2B concentrations and on markers of oxidative stress in hippocampus of rats treated with melatonin for 4 weeks. Animals were divided into four groups according to their melatonin doses (control group (C), n = 7; 5 mg/kg group (M5), n = 7; 10 mg/kg group (M10), n = 8; 20 mg/kg group (M20), n = 8) and received the melatonin as intraperitoneal injection. After 4 weeks of treatment, electrophoretic examination was done using sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting in hippocampal homogenates of different groups. Malondialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid peroxidation, was assayed in all groups. There were significant increases in both NMDAR 2A; 5 mg/kg group (n = 3, p < 0.05), 10 mg/kg group (n = 3, p < 0.05), 20 mg/kg group (n = 3, p < 0.05) and NMDAR 2B expressions; 5 mg group (n = 3, p < 0.05), 10 mg group (n = 3, p < 0.05), 20 mg group (n = 3, p < 0.05), compared to the control group. No significant difference in MDA concentrations was found between groups. The present study clearly demonstrates that melatonin alters hippocampal NMDAR subunit concentrations in a dose-dependent manner without causing lipid peroxidation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sutcu
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yonden
authors.forename: Aysegul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Namik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Delibas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D008550:Melatonin; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C121001:NR2B NMDA receptor