title: Venlafaxine treatment after endothelin-1-induced cortical stroke modulates growth factor expression and reduces tissue damage in rats.
abstract: Neuromodulators, such as antidepressants, may contribute to neuroprotection by modulating growth factor expression to exert anti-inflammatory effects and to support neuronal plasticity after stroke. Our objective was to study whether early treatment with venlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, modulates growth factor expression and positively contributes to reducing the volume of infarcted brain tissue resulting in increased functional recovery. We studied the expression of BDNF, FGF2 and TGF-β1 by examining their mRNA and protein levels and cellular distribution using quantitative confocal microscopy at 5 days after venlafaxine treatment in control and infarcted brains. Venlafaxine treatment did not change the expression of these growth factors in sham rats. In infarcted rats, BDNF mRNA and protein levels were reduced, while the mRNA and protein levels of FGF2 and TGF-β1 were increased. Venlafaxine treatment potentiated all of the changes that were induced by cortical stroke alone. In particular, increased levels of FGF2 and TGF-β1 were observed in astrocytes at 5 days after stroke induction, and these increases were correlated with decreased astrogliosis (measured by GFAP) and increased synaptophysin immunostaining at twenty-one days after stroke in venlafaxine-treated rats. Finally, we show that venlafaxine reduced infarct volume after stroke resulting in increased functional recovery, which was measured using ladder rung motor tests, at 21 days after stroke. Our results indicate that the early oral administration of venlafaxine positively contributes to neuroprotection during the acute and late events that follow stroke.
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zepeda
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pissani
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stack
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Macarena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Gareth I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: omlazo@bio.puc.cl.
authors.forename: Oscar M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Lazo
authors.affiliation: MINREB and Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE UC), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: fbronfman@bio.puc.cl.
authors.forename: Francisca C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Bronfman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D019332:Endothelin-1; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005911:Gliosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D019332:Endothelin-1; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
keywords: Antidepressant; BDNF; FGF2; Neuroprotection; Sensorimotor recovery; Stroke; TGF-β1; Venlafaxine