Sex hormones affect acute and chronic stress responses in sexually dimorphic patterns: Consequences for depression models

Guo, Lei; Chen, Yi-Xi; Yong, Hu; Wu, Xiaochang; He, Yang; Wu, Juan-Li; Huang, Manli; Mason, Matthew R. J.; Bao, Ai-Min

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.016

Cited by 32 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Finally, it has been reported that central inflammation may trigger behavioural disturbances, such as anxiety and depression, in menopausal women [56][57][58][59] . Despite the fact that TNF-alpha was similar among the groups, we cannot rule out the possibility of ovariectomy-induced inflammation, as observed by other authors 5 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) attenuates obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours induced by ovariectomy

Banin

Machado

Andrade

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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While several pieces of evidence link obesity and mood disorders in menopause, the mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. We have previously demonstrated that Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) both attenuated diet-induced obesity of male rats and restored serotonin-induced hypophagia in ovariectomized female rats. The present study aimed at exploring whether GbE treatment ameliorates ovariectomy-related obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours. Wistar female rats were either ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated (Sham). After 2 months, either 500 mg/kg of GbE or vehicle were administered daily by gavage for 14 days. Anxious/depressive-like behaviours were assessed by the Elevated Plus Maze and the Forced Swim Tests, respectively. Ovariectomy caused high visceral adiposity, hyperleptinemia, and hypercholesterolemia, and increased the anxiety index (p = 0.048 vs. Sham + GbE) while it decreased the latency to immobility (p = 0.004 vs. Sham). GbE treatment in OVX rats improved body composition, adiponectin levels and blood lipid profile. It also reduced the anxiety index (p = 0.004) and increased the latency to immobility (p = 0.003) of OVX rats. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that leptin (p = 0.047) and total cholesterol levels (p = 0.022) were associated with anxious-like behaviours while body adiposity (p = 0.00005) was strongly associated with depressive-like behaviours. The results showed that GbE therapy was effective in attenuating the deleterious effects of ovariectomy on body composition, lipid profile, and anxious/depressive-like behaviours. Further studies are warranted to better understand the therapeutic potential of GbE in menopause.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) attenuates obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours induced by ovariectomy

Banin

Machado

Andrade

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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show abstract

“…For instance, Lu et al reported no sexually dimorphic changes for these genes after acute footshock in the hypothalamus, whereas, Guo et al reported male‐specific increased levels of Avp after an acute footshock, in the same region . Although they used the same animal model (Sprague Dawley rats), stress paradigm (footshock) and molecular assay (qPCR), Lu and colleagues collected their samples within a bigger time window after stress compared with Guo et al Therefore, the timing of tissue collection might contribute to the observed inconsistency in these works. Other regions such as the central amygdala (CeA) have shown discrepant results in other stress‐related genes such as Crf (see Table for more details).…”

Section: Rodent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from the classic stress-related genes presented so far, other genes have been reported to modulate their expression in a sex-specific way. For example clock genes, 115 genes involved in the sex steroid system, 101,103 and genes encoding for epigenetic mediators. 104,116,117 The gene expression changes described so far have been specifically observed in the context of physical stressors.…”

Section: Targeted Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from the classic stress‐related genes presented so far, other genes have been reported to modulate their expression in a sex‐specific way. For example clock genes, genes involved in the sex steroid system, and genes encoding for epigenetic mediators …”

Section: Rodent Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exposure to chronic stress also modulates expression levels of other stress‐related genes, such as the Crf system and the oxytocin‐vasopressin pathway. Guo et al showed that the combined exposure to chronic mild stress and an acute forced swim session led to a wide range of gene expression changes of stress‐related genes in the hypothalamus in a different way between sexes. More specifically, the authors showed that Crf , Avp , Oxt , and Esr1 are all upregulated in females, but are not changed in males.…”

Section: Chronic Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex differences: Transcriptional signatures of stress exposure in male and female brains

Brivio

López

Chen

2020

Genes Brain and Behavior

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More than two‐thirds of patients suffering from stress‐related disorders are women but over two‐thirds of suicide completers are men. These are just some examples of the many sex differences in the prevalence and manifestations of stress‐related disorders, such as major depressive disorder, post‐traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders, which have been extensively documented in clinical research. Nonetheless, the molecular origins of this sex dimorphism are still quite obscure. In response to this lack of knowledge, the NIH recently advocated implementing sex as biological variable in the design of preclinical studies across disciplines. As a result, a newly emerging field within psychiatry is trying to elucidate the molecular causes underlying the clinically described sex dimorphism. Several studies in rodents and humans have already identified many stress‐related genes that are regulated by acute and chronic stress in a sex‐specific fashion. Furthermore, current transcriptomic studies have shown that pathways and networks in male and female individuals are not equally affected by stress exposure. In this review, we give an overview of transcriptional studies designed to understand how sex influences stress‐specific transcriptomic changes in rodent models, as well as human psychiatric patients, highlighting the use of different methodological techniques. Understanding which mechanisms are more affected in males, and which in females, may lead to the identification of sex‐specific mechanisms, their selective contribution to stress susceptibility, and their role in the development of stress‐related psychiatric disorders.

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Sexually dimorphic age‐related molecular differences in the entorhinal cortex of cognitively intact elderly: Relation to early Alzheimer's changes

Chen

Fortes

Yong

et al. 2023

Alzheimer's & Dementia

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IntroductionWomen are more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease (AD) than men. The entorhinal cortex (EC) is one of the earliest structures affected in AD. We identified in cognitively intact elderly different molecular changes in the EC in relation to age.MethodsChanges in 12 characteristic molecules in relation to age were determined by quantitative immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization in the EC. They were arbitrarily grouped into sex steroid‐related molecules, markers of neuronal activity, neurotransmitter‐related molecules, and cholinergic activity‐related molecules.ResultsThe changes in molecules indicated increasing local estrogenic and neuronal activity accompanied by a higher and faster hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation in women's EC in relation to age, versus a mainly stable local estrogenic/androgenic and neuronal activity in men's EC.DiscussionEC employs a different neurobiological strategy in women and men to maintain cognitive function, which seems to be accompanied by an earlier start of AD in women.HIGHLIGHTS Local estrogen system is activated with age only in women's entorhinal cortex (EC). EC neuronal activity increased with age only in elderly women with intact cognition. Men and women have different molecular strategies to retain cognition with aging. P‐tau accumulation in the EC was higher and faster in cognitively intact elderly women.

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Sex hormones affect acute and chronic stress responses in sexually dimorphic patterns: Consequences for depression models

Cited by 32 publications

References 49 publications

Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) attenuates obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours induced by ovariectomy

Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) attenuates obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours induced by ovariectomy

Sex differences: Transcriptional signatures of stress exposure in male and female brains

Sexually dimorphic age‐related molecular differences in the entorhinal cortex of cognitively intact elderly: Relation to early Alzheimer's changes

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