title: Region-specific changes in activities of cell death-related proteases and nitric oxide metabolism in rat brain in a chronic unpredictable stress model.
abstract: Effects of a chronic combined unpredictable stress on activities of two cell death-related proteases, calpain and cathepsin B, were studied along with indices of nitrergic system in rat brain structures. Male Wistar rats were subjected to a 2-week-long combined stress (combination of unpaired flash light and moderate footshock associated with a white noise session). Stress resulted in a significant loss in the body and thymus weight and increased defecation in the open field test, though neither motor and exploratory activity, nor plasma corticosterone differed from the respective control levels. Decreased calpain activity and increased cathepsin B activity were demonstrated in the hippocampus of stressed rats (previously we have shown that caspase-3 activity was significantly suppressed in the brain of rats subjected to same type of stress). A significant reduction in the number of NOS-containing neurons was accompanied by a chronic stressinduced decline in NOS activity in the neocortex. Similar changes were observed in the hippocampus. However, levels of NO metabolites were elevated in both structures. Thus, stress-induced structural modifications in the brain may be mediated by disturbances in the nitrergic system and increased lysosomal proteolysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Biochemistry of the Nervous System, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Butlerova str., 5A, Moscow, 117485, Russia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tishkina
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rukhlenko
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stepanichev
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Levshina
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasikova
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onufriev
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moiseeva
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piskunov
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gulyaeva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D002154:Calpain; D053148:Caspase 3; D002401:Cathepsin B; D003345:Corticosterone