title: Sex differences in the stress response in SD rats.
abstract: Sex differences play an important role in depression, the basis of which is an excessive stress response. We aimed at revealing the neurobiological sex differences in the same study in acute- and chronically-stressed rats. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), acute foot shock (FS) and controls, animals in all 3 groups were sacrificed in proestrus or diestrus. Male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: CUMS, FS and controls. Comparisons were made of behavioral changes in CUMS and control rats, plasma levels of corticosterone (CORT), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2), and of the hypothalamic mRNA-expression of stress-related molecules, i.e. estrogen receptor α and β, androgen receptor, aromatase, mineralocorticoid receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, corticotropin-releasing hormone, arginine vasopressin and oxytocin. CUMS resulted in disordered estrus cycles, more behavioral and hypothalamic stress-related molecules changes and a stronger CORT response in female rats compared with male rats. Female rats also showed decreased E2 and T levels after FS and CUMS, while male FS rats showed increased E2 and male CUMS rats showed decreased T levels. Stress affects the behavioral, endocrine and the molecular response of the stress systems in the hypothalamus of SD rats in a clear sexual dimorphic way, which has parallels in human data on stress and depression.
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Lu
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Xue-Yan
authors: XY
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Qiong-Bin
authors: QB
authors: Zhu
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Li-Gen
authors: LG
authors: Shi
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Juan-Li
authors: JL
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Qi-Jun
authors: QJ
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Hangzhou, China.
authors: Man-Li
authors: ML
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Mental Disorder's Management, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: baoaimin@zju.edu.cn.
authors: Ai-Min
authors: AM
authors: Bao
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004597:Electroshock; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Chronic unpredicted mild stress; Foot shock; Sex difference; Sex hormone