title: Antidepressant-like activity of zinc: further behavioral and molecular evidence.
abstract: Zinc exhibits antidepressant-like activity in preclinical tests (the forced swim test and tail suspension test) and in olfactory bulbectomy and chronic unpredictable stress; two models of depression. Zinc also enhances the treatment of depression in humans. In the present study we evaluated the antidepressant activity of zinc in another model of depression-chronic mild stress (CMS) and the effect of zinc treatment on BDNF protein and the mRNA level. In CMS zinc hydroaspartate (10 mg/kg) exhibited a rapid (after 1 week of treatment) antidepressant-like effect. Chronic treatment with zinc induced a 17-39% increase in the BDNF mRNA and protein level in the hippocampus. These data indicate a rapidly acting antidepressant-like activity of zinc in CMS and the involvement of zinc in the regulation of BDNF.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sowa-Kućma
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Legutko
authors.forename: Bernadeta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szewczyk
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Znojek
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poleszak
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papp
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilc
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nowak