Inflammation and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders and nuclear erythroid related factor 2 (Nrf2), a regulator of RedOx homeostasis and inflammation, is a promising target for depression prevention/treatment. As fish oil (FO) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) are known Nrf2 inducers, their protective ability is comparatively evaluated in a murine model of depression (MRL/MpJ-Fas lpr ). Oxidative stress, fatty acids content, and critical factors reflecting brain functioning-namely brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synaptic markers, and cholinergic signaling-are preliminarily evaluated in the frontal cortex of 8-week (Young) and in 22-week old animals (Old), which are used as model of depression. These markers are measured in Old mice at the end of a 5-week pretreatment with FO or CLA (728 or 650 mg kg -1 , respectively). Old mice exhibit disrupted Redox homeostasis, compensatory Nrf2 hyperactivation, lower docosaheaxaenoic acid (DHA), and lower BDNF and synaptic function proteins compared to Young mice. FO and CLA treatment relieves almost all the pathophysiological hallmarks at a level comparable to Young mice. Presented data provide the first evidence for the comparable efficacy of FO or CLA supplementation in preventing depression signs in Old MRL/lpr mice, likely through their ability of improving Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defenses.
Cadmium is a biologically non-essential metal. It is also toxic to many organs including the brain. The aim of this study was to analyse the neurodegenerative effects of this metal in embryos and adults of zebrafish exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of cadmium. The study was performed by cytochemical stainings. Six hours post fertilisation (hpf) zebrafish embryos were treated for 24 hours with 9 μM of cadmium and subsequently stained with Acridine orange in whole mount to detect apoptosis in the brain. Adult zebrafish were treated for 16 days with the same concentration of cadmium, and cell death in the brain was detected by Fluoro-Jade B staining at 2, 7 and 16 days of treatment. An increase in cell death was observed only at 16 days of treatment in adults, while an increase in apoptotic events was revealed in the brain of embryos after 24 h of treatment. This evidence is indicative that cadmium, even at a sub-lethal concentration, induces cell death in the brain of embryos but also in adults of zebrafish in which the phenomenon appears time dependent
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