Neuropeptide W alleviates cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behaviors in rats with chronic stress

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 3, 334 - 339, 21.10.2023

Sevil Arabacı Tamer , Emine Karahan

https://doi.org/10.53446/actamednicomedia.1313876

Abstract

Objective: NPW plays a regulatory role in the neuroendocrine response to stress and the activation of the HPA axis. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of peripherally administered NPW on the cognitive functions and anxiety-like behavior of rats under chronic stress conditions.
Methods: Wistar albino (250-290 gr) male rats were randomly divided as control, chronic stress group, and chronic stress exposed NPW-treated (0.1 µg/kg, subcutaneously) group. Chronic stress was induced by exposing the animals to water avoidance stress (WAS) for 1 h/day for ten consecutive days. At the end of the experimental stress procedure, an object recognition test was used to evaluate cognitive functions, and a hole-board test was used to assess anxiety levels. After the experiments, blood samples were collected to measure corticosterone levels.
Results: WAS significant increases in the level of corticosterone when compared with control rats (p<0.05), showing the activation of HPA axis. Application of WAS also caused anxiety and diminished cognitive functions. In NPW-treated rats with WAS, the corticosterone level was not different from the control group. The number of rearing up and head-dips by WAS-induced rats increased after NPW application. (p<0.05-0.01) and also decreased the immobilization time (p<0.01). Moreover, the difference score in the object recognition test was increased by the NPW application in WAS group (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: Our results showed for the first time that NPW pretreatment exerted an anxiolytic effect and attenuated cognitive function in rats subjected to water aversion stress.

Keywords

Neuropeptide W, stress, anxiety, cognitive function, memory.

Supporting Institution

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)

Project Number

program code: 2209, project no: 1919B012204884

Nöropeptid W, kronik stresli sıçanlarda bilişsel bozukluğu ve kaygı benzeri davranışları hafifletir

Abstract

Amaç: NPW, strese karşı nöroendokrin yanıtta ve HPA ekseninin aktivasyonunda düzenleyici bir rol oynar. Bu çalışmanın amacı, kronik stres koşullarında periferik olarak uygulanan NPW'nin sıçanların bilişsel işlevler ve kaygı benzeri davranışlar üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmaktır.
Yöntem: Wistar albino (250-290 gr) erkek sıçanlar kontrol, kronik stres grubu ve kronik strese maruz kalan ve NPW ile tedavi edilen (0.1 µg/kg, subkutan) grup olarak rastgele ayrıldı. Kronik stres indüksiyonu hayvanlara art arda on gün boyunca günde 1 saat sudan kaçınma stresi (WAS) uygulanarak yapıldı. Deneysel stres işleminin sonunda bilişsel işlevleri değerlendirmek için obje tanıma testi, kaygı düzeylerini değerlendirmek için delikli tahta testi kullanıldı. Deneylerden sonra, kortikosteron seviyelerini ölçmek için kan örnekleri alındı.
Bulgular: Kontrol sıçanları ile karşılaştırıldığında WAS grubunda kortikosteron seviyesinde anlamlı artış görüldü (p<0.05), bu da HPA ekseninin aktivasyonunu göstermektedir. WAS uygulanması ayrıca kaygıya ve bilişsel işlevlerin azalmasına neden oldu. WAS uygulanıp NPW ile tedavi edilen sıçanlarda, kortikosteron seviyesi kontrol grubundan farklı değildi. NPW tedavisi, WAS ile indüklenen sıçanlarda şaha kalkma ve burun sokma sayılarını artırdı (p<0.05-0.01) ve immobilizasyon süresini azalttı (p<0.01). Ayrıca WAS grubunda NPW uygulaması ile obje tanıma testinde fark skoru arttı(p< 0.05).
Sonuç: Sonuçlarımız ilk kez NPW ön tedavisinin sudan kaçınma stresi uygulanan sıçanlarda anksiyolitik etki gösterdiğini ve bilişsel işlevi hafiflettiğini gösterdi.

Keywords

Nöropeptid W, stres, anksiyete, bilişsel işlev, hafıza

Project Number

program code: 2209, project no: 1919B012204884

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