Preventive putative effect of agmatine on cognitive and molecular outcomes in ventral tegmental area of male offspring following physical and psychological prenatal stress
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Preventive putative effect of agmatine on cognitive and molecular outcomes in ventral tegmental area of male offspring following physical and psychological prenatal stress. / Hassanshahi, Amin; Janahmadi, Mahyar; Razavinasab, Moazamehosadat; Ranjbar, Hoda; Hosseinmardi, Narges; Behzadi, Gila; Kohlmeier, Kristi Anne; Ilaghi, Mehran; Shabani, Mohammad .
In: Developmental Psychobiology, Vol. 65, No. 6, 22410, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - Preventive putative effect of agmatine on cognitive and molecular outcomes in ventral tegmental area of male offspring following physical and psychological prenatal stress
AU - Hassanshahi, Amin
AU - Janahmadi, Mahyar
AU - Razavinasab, Moazamehosadat
AU - Ranjbar, Hoda
AU - Hosseinmardi, Narges
AU - Behzadi, Gila
AU - Kohlmeier, Kristi Anne
AU - Ilaghi, Mehran
AU - Shabani, Mohammad
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Prenatal stress (PS) results from a maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy, which has been associated with an increased risk of behavioral disorders including substance abuse and anxiety in the offspring. PS is known to result in heightened dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), in part through the effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone, which directly excites dopaminergic cells. It has recently been suggested that agmatine plays a role in modulating anxiety-like behaviors. In this study, we investigated whether agmatine could reduce negative cognitive outcomes in male mice prenatally exposed to psychological/physical stress, and whether this could be associated with molecular changes in VTA. Agmatine (37.5 mg/kg) was administrated 30 min prior to PS induction in pregnant Swiss mice. Male offspring were evaluated in a series of behavioral and molecular assays. Findings demonstrated that agmatine reduced the impairment in locomotor activity induced by both psychological and physical PS. Agmatine also decreased heightened conditioned place preference to morphine seen in PS offspring. Moreover, agmatine ameliorated the anxiety-like behavior and drug-seeking behavior induced by PS in the male offspring. Molecular effects were seen in VTA as the enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induced by PS in the VTA was reduced by agmatine. Behavioral tests indicate that agmatine exerts a protective effect on PS-induced impairments in male offspring, which could be due in part to agmatine-associated molecular alterations in the VTA. Taken together, our data suggest that prenatal treatment with agmatine exerts protective effect against negative consequences of PS on the development of affective circuits in the offspring.
AB - Prenatal stress (PS) results from a maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy, which has been associated with an increased risk of behavioral disorders including substance abuse and anxiety in the offspring. PS is known to result in heightened dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), in part through the effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone, which directly excites dopaminergic cells. It has recently been suggested that agmatine plays a role in modulating anxiety-like behaviors. In this study, we investigated whether agmatine could reduce negative cognitive outcomes in male mice prenatally exposed to psychological/physical stress, and whether this could be associated with molecular changes in VTA. Agmatine (37.5 mg/kg) was administrated 30 min prior to PS induction in pregnant Swiss mice. Male offspring were evaluated in a series of behavioral and molecular assays. Findings demonstrated that agmatine reduced the impairment in locomotor activity induced by both psychological and physical PS. Agmatine also decreased heightened conditioned place preference to morphine seen in PS offspring. Moreover, agmatine ameliorated the anxiety-like behavior and drug-seeking behavior induced by PS in the male offspring. Molecular effects were seen in VTA as the enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) induced by PS in the VTA was reduced by agmatine. Behavioral tests indicate that agmatine exerts a protective effect on PS-induced impairments in male offspring, which could be due in part to agmatine-associated molecular alterations in the VTA. Taken together, our data suggest that prenatal treatment with agmatine exerts protective effect against negative consequences of PS on the development of affective circuits in the offspring.
U2 - 10.1002/dev.22410
DO - 10.1002/dev.22410
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37607891
VL - 65
JO - Developmental Psychobiology
JF - Developmental Psychobiology
SN - 0012-1630
IS - 6
M1 - 22410
ER -
ID: 359605219