Phencyclidine (PCP)-Induced Disruption in Cognitive Performance is Gender-Specific and Associated with a Reduction in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in Specific Regions of the Female Rat Brain

Phencyclidine (PCP), used to mimic certain aspects of schizophrenia, induces sexually dimorphic, cognitive deficits in rats. In this study, the effects of sub-chronic PCP on expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophic factor implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, have been evaluated in male and female rats. Male and female hooded-Lister rats received vehicle or PCP (n = 8 per group; 2 mg/kg i.p. twice daily for 7 days) and were tested in the attentional set shifting task prior to being sacrificed (6 weeks post-treatment). Levels of BDNF mRNA were measured in specific brain regions using in situ hybridisation. Male rats were less sensitive to PCP-induced deficits in the extra-dimensional shift stage of the attentional set shifting task compared to female rats. Quantitative analysis of brain regions demonstrated reduced BDNF levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (p < 0.05), motor cortex (p < 0.01), orbital cortex (p < 0.01), olfactory bulb (p < 0.05), retrosplenial cortex (p < 0.001), frontal cortex (p < 0.01), parietal cortex (p < 0.01), CA1 (p < 0.05) and polymorphic layer of dentate gyrus (p < 0.05) of the hippocampus and the central (p < 0.01), lateral (p < 0.05) and basolateral (p < 0.05) regions of the amygdaloid nucleus in female PCP-treated rats compared with controls. In contrast, BDNF was significantly reduced only in the orbital cortex and central amygdaloid region of male rats (p < 0.05). Results suggest that blockade of NMDA receptors by sub-chronic PCP administration has a long-lasting down-regulatory effect on BDNF mRNA expression in the female rat brain which may underlie some of the behavioural deficits observed post PCP administration

Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) and Sulfotransferases Contribute Significantly to the Disposition of Genistein in Mouse Intestine

The low bioavailability of genistein has impeded its development into a therapeutic agent. Our earlier studies indicate that glucuronidation is one of the major barriers to genistein oral bioavailability. This study will determine how sulfotransferases and efflux transporters affect its intestinal disposition. A rodent intestinal perfusion model and S9 fractions were used. Sulfate excretion rates were comparable to glucuronide excretion in mouse small intestine but significantly higher than glucuronide excretion in mouse colon, which is different from rat intestinal disposition but similar to disposition in Caco-2 cells. To define efflux transporter(s) involved in sulfate excretion, two organic anion inhibitors (estrone sulfate and dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate) or a multidrug resistance protein inhibitor (MK-571) were used but neither was able to decrease the excretion of genistein sulfates. In contrast, the excretion of genistein sulfate decreased substantially (>90%) in small intestine of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) knockout mice and became undetectable in colon of the knockout mice. The excretion rates of genistein glucuronide in the small intestine of BCRP knockout mice were also significant decreased (78%). This study shows clearly that BCRP facilitates the cellular genistein sulfate excretion by removing sulfates to prevent their backward hydrolysis and to limit substrate inhibition, indicating that BCRP plays a dominant role in genistein sulfate excretion and a significant role in genistein glucuronide excretion in the mouse intestine