FAAH Inhibition Restores Early Life Stress-Induced Alterations in PFC microRNAs Associated with Depressive-Like Behavior in Male and Female Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2022 Dec 17;23(24)
Date
12/24/2022Pubmed ID
36555739Pubmed Central ID
PMC9782513DOI
10.3390/ijms232416101Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85144537750 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 6 CitationsAbstract
Early life stress (ELS) increases predisposition to depression. We compared the effects of treatment with the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine, on ELS-induced depressive-like behavior and the expression of microRNAs (miRs) associated with depression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampal CA1 area, lateral habenula and dorsal raphe in rats. We also examined the mRNA expression of serotonergic (htr1a and slc6a4) and endocannabinoid (cnr1, cnr2 and faah) targets in the mPFC following ELS and pharmacological treatment. Adult males and females exposed to the 'Limited Bedding and Nesting' ELS paradigm demonstrated a depressive-like phenotype and late-adolescence URB597 treatment, but not paroxetine, reversed this phenotype. In the mPFC, ELS downregulated miR-16 in males and miR-135a in females and URB597 treatment restored this effect. In ELS females, the increase in cnr2 and decrease in faah mRNAs in the mPFC were reversed by URB597 treatment. We show for the first time that URB597 reversed ELS-induced mPFC downregulation in specific miRs and stress-related behaviors, suggesting a novel mechanism for the beneficial effects of FAAH inhibition. The differential effects of ELS and URB597 on males and females highlight the importance of developing sex-specific treatment approaches.
Author List
Portugalov A, Zaidan H, Gaisler-Salomon I, Hillard CJ, Akirav IAuthor
Cecilia J. Hillard PhD Associate Dean, Center Director, Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AmidohydrolasesAnimals
Benzamides
Endocannabinoids
Female
Male
MicroRNAs
Rats
Stress, Psychological
