Expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 protein in the hippocampus in rats exhibiting chronic stress-induced depression

摘要

There is evidence that the expression of members of the fibroblast growth factor(FGF) protein family is altered in post-mortem brains of humans suffering from major depressive disorder.The present study examined whether the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2(FGF2) and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1(FGFR1) protein is altered following chronic stress in an animal model.Rats were exposed to 35 days of chronic unpredictable mild stress,and then tested using open-field and sucrose consumption tests.Compared with the control group,rats in the chronic stress group exhibited obvious depressive-like behaviors,including anhedonia,anxiety and decreased mobility.The results of western blot analysis and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a downregulation of the expression of FGF2 and FGFR1 in the hippocampus of rats,particularly in the CA1,CA3 and dentate gyrus.This decreased expression is in accord with the results of post-mortem studies in humans with major depressive disorder.These findings suggest that FGF2 and FGFR1 proteins participate in the pathophysiology of depressive-like behavior,and may play an important role in the mechanism of chronic stress-induced depression.