Asymmetric effects of low doses of progesterone on GABA(A) receptor α4 subunit protein expression in the olfactory bulb of female rats
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of progesterone on the protein expression of α4 subunit of GABA(A) receptor, serotonin transporter (SERT), Akt, Erk, and caspase-3 in the olfactory bulb (OB) of female rats exposed to the forced swimming test (FST). Female rats
were injected daily with progesterone (0.4 mg/kg body mass) or vehicle during 2 complete oestrous cycles and exposed to the FST, and the protein expression of GABA(A) receptor α4 subunit, SERT, Akt, Erk, and caspase-3 in the OB were evaluated. Progesterone increased the expression of
the α4 subunit in the right OB and decreased its expression in the left OB, although it did not change the expression of other proteins. In summary, our findings indicate that progesterone has an asymmetric modulatory effect on the expression of GABA(A) receptor α4 subunit in the
OB. This effect could be related to the antidepressant-like effect of progesterone in female rats.
Keywords: depression; dépression; forced swimming test; neuroprotection; serotonin transporter (SERT); steroids; stéroïdes; test de la nage forcée; transporteur de sérotonine (SERT)
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Laboratório de Interação Neuro-Humoral, Department of Physiology, ICBS – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil. 2: Department of Pharmacology, ICBS – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Porto Alegre, RS 90050-170, Brazil.
Publication date: 01 January 2014
- Published since 1929, this monthly journal reports new research in the fields of physiology and pharmacology.
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Submit a Paper
- Subscribe to this Title
- Sign up for journal newsletters
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content