The impact of early life stress and immune challenge on behavior and glia cells alteration in late adolescent rats

• Published in: International journal of developmental neuroscience 2021-08, Vol.81 (5), p.407-415
• Main Authors: Réus, Gislaine Z., Giridharan, Vijayasree V., Moura, Airam B., Borba, Laura A., Botelho, Maria Eduarda M., Behenck, João Paulo, Generoso, Jaqueline S., Selvaraj, Sudhakar, Bhatti, Gursimrat, Barichello, Tatiana, Quevedo, João
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: animal model of depression; Animals; astrocyte; Astrocytes - pathology; Behavior, Animal; Calcium-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Depression; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - biosynthesis; Immunity - physiology; lipopolysaccharide; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophage Activation; major depressive disorder; Maternal Deprivation; Microfilament Proteins - metabolism; microglia; Motor Activity; Neuroglia - immunology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Stress, Psychological - immunology; Swimming - psychology
• ISSN: 0736-5748; 1873-474X; 1873-474X
• DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10108

Maternal deprivation (MD) is known to be related to long‐term changes that could influence the onset of psychiatric disorders. Studies have demonstrated that early life stress makes the cells in the brain more susceptible to subsequent stressors. To test it, we used an animal model of MD conducted from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 10. Deprived and non‐deprived rats (control) were randomized to receive or not lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 5 mg/kg on PND 50. The behavior and glial cells activation were evaluated in all groups from 51 to 53 PND. There was an increase in the immobility time in the MD and MD+LPS groups. The spontaneous locomotor activity was not changed between groups. We found elevated ionized calcium‐binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba‐1)‐positive cells levels in the control+LPS and MD+LPS groups. In the MD+LPS group, it was found an increase in Iba‐positive cells compared to the MD+sal group. The glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)‐positive cells were also increased in the MD+LPS, compared to control+sal, control+LPS, and MD+sal groups. Immune challenge by LPS in late adolescence, which was subjected to MD, did not influence the depressive‐like behavior but exerted a pronounced effect in the microglial activation and astrocyte atrophy. Animals subjected to early life stress, such as maternal deprivation, and other stressors during life, such as infection, have changes in the glial cells, including microglial activation and astrocyte reactivity. These effects are associated with depressive‐like behavior in adult life. Images were extracted from BioRender.