title: Different effects of chronic phencyclidine on brain-derived neurotrophic factor in neonatal and adult rat brains.
abstract: The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are both known to play major roles in the normal development of the brain. We have hypothesized that the chronic blockade of NMDA with phencyclidine (PCP) may have a different effect on BDNF synthesis at different stages of development. In an acute experiment, rat pups and adult rats were injected with PCP (2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg) at postnatal day (PD) 15 or 49, respectively. In a chronic experiment, rat pups were injected daily from PD 5 to PD 14 with PCP (2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg), while adult rats were injected daily with the same dose from PD 39 to PD 48. BDNF levels in the hippocampus, striatum and frontal cortex were determined by ELISA assay 24 hours after the last injection. Chronic PCP treatment of neonatal rats induced a dose-dependent decrease in BDNF in the hippocampus but not in the frontal cortex and striatum. Single injection of PCP to rat pups showed a slight reduction of BDNF in the hippocampus but only at higher doses. In contrast to neonatal brain, neither acute nor chronic injection of PCP influenced BDNF in adult brain. These findings suggest that chronic blockade of NMDA receptor in the early neonatal period has an inhibitory effect on BDNF synthesis in the hippocampus and may impair normal neurodevelopment in rat pups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Sciences, University of the Air, Japan. sem-baj@u-air.ac.jp
authors.forename: Jun'ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Semba
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wakuta
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suhara
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010622:Phencyclidine