THE EFFECTS OF OPEN FIELD EXPOSURE ON THE ANXIETY AND LOCOMOTIVE BEHAVIOR OF ADULT MALE WISTAR RATS IN ELEVATED PLUS MAZE

Anxiety is a multifaceted emotional disorder which requires multiple research models for effective assessment of the condition. Usually, a large number of animals will be used for a single study which will not be reused in other studies. The use of different groups of animals for different aspects of any study may create inter-subject variations that can confound the observed results. Objective of this study is to investigate the effect of pre-exposure to open field (OF) on the anxiety and locomotor behaviors of male adult Wistar rats in elevated plus maze (EPM). We evaluated the effect of pre-exposure in OF on the anxiety and locomotor behaviors of rats at 3 different time intervals. The control group consisted of rats which underwent single exposure in EPM, and the other three groups consisted of rats which underwent a pre-exposure in OF immediately before the EPM session, 2 days before the EPM session, and a week before the EPM session. Our results show that there was no significant effect of OF pre-exposure on the anxiety and the locomotive behavior of rats in EPM at these 3 different intervals. In conclusions, these tests can be conducted successively with minimum time duration in the gap between these two tests

Effects of the mGluR5 antagonist MPEP on ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety-like syndrome in rats

Abstinence from chronic ethanol consumption leads to the manifestation of a variety of symptoms attributed to central nervous system hyperexcitability, such as increased irritability, anxiety, and restlessness. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in addictive behaviours. This study investigates the effects of the mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) on ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety using two behavioural paradigms. Male Wistar rats were fed a Modified Liquid Diet (MLD) containing low fat cow milk, sucrose, and maltodextrin with a gradual introduction of 2.4%, 4.8% and 7.2% ethanol for 20 days. Six hours into ethanol withdrawal, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline and MPEP (2.5, 5.0, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg) and were assessed for ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety-like syndrome using an automated elevated plus maze and an open field. MPEP at 10 mg/kg significantly attenuated ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety without any compromising effects on locomotor activities. Despite reversing several indices of ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety in both the elevated plus maze and the open field, low doses of MPEP (2.5, 5 mg/kg) significantly compromised the locomotor activities of ethanol withdrawn rats. High doses of MPEP (20 and 30 mg/kg) significantly attenuated withdrawal anxiety when tested in the elevated plus maze but not in the open field. Administration of MPEP (2.5, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg) has no significant compromising effect on the locomotor activities of ethanol naïve rats. Despite significantly reducing withdrawal anxiety in both behavioural paradigms at 10 mg/kg, the compromising effects of low and high doses of MPEP must be further explored along with the therapeutic efficiency of this drug for relieving withdrawal induced anxiety

Comparison of THP-1 Macrophages Viability in Different Types of Culture Vessel

The ox-LDL generated apoptotic bodies using THP-1 macrophage is a useful tool to study foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. However, the common problem is the cells in the negative control (i.e., absence of ox-LDL) undergo apoptosis. Therefore, the type of cell culture vessel was proposed to be the key factor contributing to cell apoptosis. The THP-1 cells were differentiated into M1 macrophages using 10 ng/μL PMA, 5 ng/μL LPS, and 20 ng/μL IFN-? while 5 ng/μL PMA, 20 ng/μL IL-4 and 20 ng/μL IL-13 were used to differentiate THP-1 into M2 macrophages. Two types of cell culture vessels (6-well plate and T25 flask) were used to culture the macrophages. The cells were subsequently stained using Annexin V-FITC and Propidium Iodide prior to flow cytometry analysis. Interestingly, both M1 and M2 macrophages cultured in the T25 flask resulted in a significantly higher percentage of cell viability compared to macrophages cultured in 6-well plate [M1: 84.15% ± 4.39 vs 8.02% ± 1.55, p < 0.0001; M2: 95.95% ± 1.74 vs 10.50% ± 0.05, p < 0.0001]. In summary, the type of culture vessel is a vital factor in determining cell viability attributed to the surface area and cell seeding density in different types of vessels. Keywords: Apoptosis, cell viability, culture vessel, macrophage, THP-

The effects of acute ethanol administration on ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety-like syndrome in rats: A biochemical study

Withdrawal from long-term ethanol consumption results in overexcitation of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the amygdala, which induces an anxiety-like syndrome. Most alcoholics that suffer from such symptoms frequently depend on habitual drinking as self-medication to alleviate their symptoms. Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) and protein kinase C (PKC) epsilon have been reported to mediate acute and chronic effects of ethanol. This study explores the changes in mGlu5 and PKC epsilon in the amygdala following acute administration of ethanol during ethanol withdrawal (EW) induced anxiety. Male Wistar rats were fed a modified liquid diet containing low-fat cow milk, sucrose, and maltodextrin, with a gradual introduction of 2.4%, 4.8% and 7.2% ethanol for 20 days. Six hours into EW, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline and ethanol (2.5 g/kg, 20% v/v), and exposed to open-field and elevated plus maze tests. Then, amygdala tissue was dissected from the rat brain for Western blot and gene expression studies. EW-induced anxiety was accompanied by a significant increase in mGlu5, total PKC epsilon, and phosphorylated PKC epsilon protein levels, and also of mRNA of mGlu5 (GRM5) in the amygdala. Acute administration of ethanol significantly attenuated EWinduced anxiety as well as an EW-induced increase in GRM5. The acute challenge of ethanol to EW rats had little effect on the phosphorylated and total protein levels of PKC epsilon in the amygdala. Our results demonstrate that amygdala PKC epsilon may not be directly involved in the development of anxiety following EW

Systemic and coronary levels of CRP, MPO, sCD40L and PlGF in patients with coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers play a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of patients with acute coronary syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the differences in level of several biomarkers, i.e. C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase, soluble CD40 ligand and placental growth factor, between acute coronary syndrome and chronic stable angina patients. The relationship between these biomarkers in the coronary circulation and systemic circulation was also investigated. METHODS: A total of 79 patients were recruited in this study. The coronary blood was sampled from occluded coronary artery, while the peripheral venous blood was withdrawn from antecubital fossa. The serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, soluble CD40 ligand and placental growth factor and plasma concentration of myeloperoxidase were measured using ELISA method. RESULTS: The systemic level of the markers measured in the peripheral venous blood was significantly increased in acute coronary syndrome compared to chronic stable angina patients. The concentrations of the C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase and soluble CD40 ligand taken from peripheral vein were closely similar to the concentration found in coronary blood of ACS patients. The level of placental growth factor was significantly higher in coronary circulation than its systemic level. CONCLUSION: The concentration of these C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase, soluble CD40 ligand and placental growth factor were significantly increased in acute coronary syndrome patients. The concentration of the markers measured in the systemic circulation directly reflected those in the local coronary circulation. Thus, these markers have potential to become a useful tool in predicting plaque vulnerability in the future