Effects of lamotrigine on behavior, oxidative parameters and signaling cascades in rats exposed to the chronic mild stress model

• Published in: Neuroscience research 2013-04, Vol.75 (4), p.324-330
• Main Authors: Abelaira, Helena M., Réus, Gislaine Z., Ribeiro, Karine F., Steckert, Amanda V., Mina, Francielle, Rosa, Daniela V.F., Santana, Cíntia V., Romano-Silva, Marco Aurélio, Dal-Pizzol, Felipe, Quevedo, João
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amygdala - drug effects; Amygdala - metabolism; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Calcium Channel Blockers - pharmacology; Calcium Channel Blockers - therapeutic use; Catalase - metabolism; Chronic Disease; Chronic mild stress; Depression; Disease Models, Animal; Exploratory Behavior - drug effects; Food Preferences - drug effects; Lamotrigine; Male; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Protein Carbonylation - drug effects; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Signaling cascade; Stress, Psychological - drug therapy; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Sucrose - administration & dosage; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Sweetening Agents - administration & dosage; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; Triazines - pharmacology; Triazines - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0168-0102; 1872-8111
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2013.02.002

► Effects of lamotrigine in rats exposed to stress. ► Lamotrigine reversed anhedonia in stressed rats. ► Lamotrigine decreased oxidative damage in the rat brain. ► Lamotrigine increased antioxidant enzymes in the rat brain. The rats were subjected to 40 days of stress protocol, during which the sucrose consumption was assessed in rats chronically treated with lamotrigine (20mg/kg) or with saline. The signaling cascade and oxidative stress parameters were assessed in the brain rat. Both control and stressed rats treated with lamotrigine showed an increase on malondialdehyde equivalents (MDA) in the prefrontal cortex, and that there was also an increase in the amygdala of the control rats treated with lamotrigine. The carbonyl protein was increased in the prefrontal cortex of the stressed group treated with saline, however, the lamotrigine treatment reversed this effect. The treatment with lamotrigine increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity (CAT) activities in the amygdala of stressed rats. The protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) was reduced in the amygdala in the stressed group treated with saline or lamotrigine. We suggest that the antidepressant-like effect of lamotrigine on anhedonic behavior may be related at least in part to its effects on the oxidative stress parameters and AKT.