title: Lithium attenuated the behavioral despair induced by acute neurogenic stress through blockade of opioid receptors in mice.
abstract: Major depressive disorder is disease with high rate of morbidity and mortality. Stressful events lead to depression and they can be used as a model of depression in rodents. In this study we aimed to investigate whether lithium modifies the stressed-induced depression through blockade of opioid receptors in mice. We used foot shock stress as stressor and forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open field test (OFT) to evaluation the behavioral responses in mice. We also used naltrexone hydrochloride (as opioid receptor antagonist), and morphine (as opioid receptor agonist). Our results displayed that foot-shock stress significantly increased the immobility time in TST and FST but it could not change the locomotor behavior in OFT. When we combined the low concentrations of lithium and naltrexone a significant reduction in immobility time was seen in the FST and TST in comparison with control foot-shock stressed group administered saline only. Despite the fact that our data showed low concentrations of lithium, when administered independently did not significantly affect the immobility time. Also our data indicated that concurrent administration of lithium and naltrexone had no effect on open field test. Further we demonstrated that simultaneous administration of morphine and lithium reverses the antidepressant like effect of active doses of lithium. Our data acclaimed that we lithium can augment stressed-induced depression and opioid pathways are involved in this action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khaloo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Banafshe
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sattar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ostadhadi
authors.affiliation: Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Norouzi-Javidan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Arya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haj-Mirzaian
authors.affiliation: Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zolfagharie
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: Dehpour@sina.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ahmad-Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Dehpour
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D008094:Lithium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D009271:Naltrexone; D009020:Morphine; D008094:Lithium
keywords: Forced swimming test; Lithium; Mice; Neurogenic stress; Opioid