1. Lithium and tamoxifen modulate cellular plasticity cascades in animal model of mania.
- Author
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Cechinel-Recco K, Valvassori SS, Varela RB, Resende WR, Arent CO, Vitto MF, Luz G, de Souza CT, and Quevedo J
- Subjects
- Animals, Apoptosis drug effects, Behavior, Animal drug effects, Blotting, Western, Dextroamphetamine toxicity, Disease Models, Animal, Injections, Intraperitoneal, Male, Motor Activity drug effects, Neuronal Plasticity drug effects, Protein Kinase C drug effects, Protein Kinase C metabolism, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Antimanic Agents pharmacology, Bipolar Disorder drug therapy, Lithium pharmacology, Tamoxifen pharmacology
- Abstract
Lithium (Li) is the main mood stabilizer and acts on multiple biochemical targets, leading to neuronal plasticity. Several clinical studies have shown that tamoxifen (TMX) - a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor - has been effective in treating acute mania. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of TMX on biochemical targets of Li, such as glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), PKC, PKA, CREB, BDNF and NGF, in the brain of rats subjected to an animal model of mania induced by d-amphetamine (d-AMPH). Wistar rats were treated with d-AMPH (2mg/kg, once a day) or saline (Sal; NaCl 0.9%, w/v), Li (47.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), twice a day) or TMX (1 mg/kg i.p., twice a day) or Sal in protocols of reversion and prevention treatment. Locomotor behavior was assessed using the open-field task, and protein levels were measured by immunoblot. Li and TMX reversed and prevented d-AMPH-induced hyperactivity. Western blot showed that d-AMPH significantly increased GSK-3 and PKC levels, and decreased pGSK-3, PKA, NGF, BDNF and CREB levels in the structures analyzed. Li and TMX were able to prevent and reverse these changes induced by d-AMPH in most structures evaluated. The present study demonstrated that the PKC inhibitor modulates the alterations in the behavior, neurotrophic and apoptosis pathway induced by d-AMPH, reinforcing the need for more studies of PKC as a possible target for treatment of bipolar disorder.
- Published
- 2012
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