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Abstract Stress represents a main risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Whereas it is known that even a single trauma may induce psychiatric disorders in humans, the mechanisms of vulnerability to acute stressors have been little investigated. In this study, we generated a new animal model of resilience/vulnerability to acute footshock (FS) stress in rats and analyzed early functional, molecular, and morphological determinants of stress vulnerability at tripartite glutamate synapses in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We found that adult male rats subjected to FS can be deemed resilient (FS-R) or vulnerable (FS-V), based on their anhedonic phenotype 24 h after stress exposure, and that these two populations are phenotypically distinguishable up to two weeks afterwards. Basal presynaptic glutamate release was increased in the PFC of FS-V rats, while depolarization-evoked glutamate release and synapsin I phosphorylation at Ser9 were increased in both FS-R and FS-V. In FS-R and FS-V rats the synaptic expression of GluN2A and apical dendritic length of prelimbic PFC layers II–III pyramidal neurons were decreased, while BDNF expression was selectively reduced in FS-V. Depolarization-evoked (carrier-mediated) glutamate release from astroglia perisynaptic processes (gliosomes) was selectively increased in the PFC of FS-V rats, while GLT1 and xCt levels were higher and GS expression reduced in purified PFC gliosomes from FS-R. Overall, we show for the first time that the application of the sucrose intake test to rats exposed to acute FS led to the generation of a novel animal model of resilience/vulnerability to acute stress, which we used to identify early determinants of maladaptive response related to behavioral vulnerability to stress.

Phalaris minor is the main and troublesome weed of wheat all over the globe. Chemical weed control is a quick and effective method for weed management. However, herbicides are criticized for environmental pollution and the development of resistance in weeds. Therefore, the present study was planned for chemical synthesis, characterization, and dose optimization of chitosan-based nanoparticles of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl for the management of Phalaris minor grown in wheat. Chitosan-based nanoparticles of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl were prepared by the ionic gelification technique. The nanoparticles (NPs) of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl were sprayed at 3–4 leaf stage of the P. minor weed. Seven different doses (D0 = weedy check, D1 = normal herbicide at recommended dose, D2 = nano herbicide at the recommended dose of normal herbicide, D3 = 5-fold lower dose of nano herbicide, D4 = 10-fold lower dose of nano herbicide, D5 = 15-fold lower dose of nano herbicide, and D6 = 20-fold lower dose of nano herbicide) were used. Chitosan-based NPs of herbicides were characterized using UV absorbance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. SEM demonstrated particles in the cluster form with porous structure and the average size ranged from 30 to 60 nm. XRD results confirmed the existence of (2θ) peak at 29.79 related to 160 anatase form in the NPs of clodinofop propargyl and 24.65 related to 76 anatase form in the case of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. The FT-IR analysis of chitosan-based NPs of both the herbicides perfectly matched the standard parameters. UV-visible spectra exhibited absorption peaks at 300 and 330 nm, for the NPs of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and clodinofop, respectively. The chitosan-based particles of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl at the recommended dose of normal herbicide caused 100% mortality and visual injury. However, a 5-fold lower dose of chitosan-based NPs of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl caused the maximum visual injury (94.00%), mortality (93.75%), minimum chlorophyll contents (7.47%), plant height (cm), fresh biomass (0.27 g), and dry biomass (0.08 g) of P. minor. The chitosan-based NPs of clodinofop propargyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl at a 10-fold lower dose of normal herbicides and recommended dose produced a similar effect on the previously mentioned traits of P. minor.

Genus Tatera is comprised of 12 species, but only one species, Tatera indica, exists in Asia. T. indica is considered an agricultural pest and host of a few zoonotic diseases. However, the data on morphological characteristics are published, but the aspect of molecular characterization is lacking to confirm the status of subspecies in most of the Asian countries including Pakistan. Therefore, the present study is the first study on morphological and molecular characterization of T. indica to get a phylogenetic relationship with the population of T. indica in Pakistan. Almost all the morphometric, cranial, and dental values of T. indica were lower in the present study as compared to the specimen from Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The molecular analysis indicated the presence of sub-species of T. indica. Interestingly, the cytochrome b gene sequence showed more resemblance to the Iranian rat than the previously reported sequence of a Pakistani T. indica. Iran shares a border with Pakistan, and migration between the two countries could be a possible reason. The resembling morphometric data on Iranian rats also explain this phenomenon. The present study found, although minor, evidence of the presence of sub-species even within Pakistan. Unfortunately, the previously submitted sequence from Pakistan was not supplemented with morphometric data and the exact capturing site of the rat. Therefore, further molecular and morphometric data from other regions are required to confirm the presence of sub-species.