Acute effects of nicotine on restraint stress-induced anxiety-like behavior, c-Fos expression, and corticosterone release in mice.
Clinical evidence suggests that nicotine reduces anxiety in stressful situations. In the present study, we investigated the effect of nicotine on restraint-enhanced anxiety-like behavior, c-Fos expression, an index of neuronal activation in the brain, and plasma corticosterone. Two-hour restraint stress-enhanced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and nicotine hydrogen tartrate (0.25 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the stress-induced changes. Pretreatment with the centrally acting nicotinic antagonist, mecamylamine (2 mg/kg), blocked nicotine's effects. In addition, restraint led to significant increases of c-Fos expression in several brain regions related to stress or anxiety including paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN), lateral hypothalamic area (LH), central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA), medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA) and cingulate and retrosplenial cortices (Cg/RS), paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT), and basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA). Nicotine attenuated the restraint-induced expression of c-Fos in the PVN, LH, CeA, MeA, and Cg/RS, while leaving the BLA and PVT unaffected. In contrast, nicotine did not reverse the increased levels of plasma corticosterone induced by restraint. These findings suggest that nicotine may modify the stress-induced behavioral changes via regulating the neuronal activation in selected brain regions rather than affecting hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis hormone responses.
Hsu
Hui-Ru
HR
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
Chen
Tsung-Yen
TY
Chan
Ming-Huan
MH
Chen
Hwei-Hsien
HH
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D008464:Mecamylamine; D009538:Nicotine; D003345:Corticosterone