title: Effects of L-theanine on posttraumatic stress disorder induced changes in rat brain gene expression.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by the occurrence of a traumatic event that is beyond the normal range of human experience. The future of PTSD treatment may specifically target the molecular mechanisms of PTSD. In the US, approximately 20% of adults report taking herbal products to treat medical illnesses. L-theanine is the amino acid in green tea primarily responsible for relaxation effects. No studies have evaluated the potential therapeutic properties of herbal medications on gene expression in PTSD. We evaluated gene expression in PTSD-induced changes in the amygdala and hippocampus of Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were assigned to PTSD-stressed and nonstressed groups that received either saline, midazolam, L-theanine, or L-theanine + midazolam. Amygdala and hippocampus tissue samples were analyzed for changes in gene expression. One-way ANOVA was used to detect significant difference between groups in the amygdala and hippocampus. Of 88 genes examined, 17 had a large effect size greater than 0.138. Of these, 3 genes in the hippocampus and 5 genes in the amygdala were considered significant (P < 0.05) between the groups. RT-PCR analysis revealed significant changes between groups in several genes implicated in a variety of disorders ranging from PTSD, anxiety, mood disorders, and substance dependence.
authors.affiliation: US Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, AMEDDC&S, Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA ; United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Tomás Eduardo
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Ceremuga
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martinson
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Washington
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Revels
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6243-3499
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wojcicki
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Damali
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8383-6820
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0121-3051
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua Luke
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kemper
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: William Luke
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Geno M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Herron
authors.affiliation: The Geneva Foundation, WA 98402, USA.
authors.forename: George Allen
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ceremuga
authors.affiliation: The Geneva Foundation, WA 98402, USA.
authors.forename: Gina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8333-5353
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Padron
authors.affiliation: United States Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bentley
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005971:Glutamates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; C026166:theanine; D008874:Midazolam