Apocynin Prevents Anxiety-Like Behavior and Histone Deacetylases Overexpression Induced by Sub-Chronic Stress in Mice

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are common mental health diseases affecting up to 7% of people around the world. Stress is considered one of the major environmental risk factors to promote anxiety disorders through mechanisms involving epigenetic changes. Moreover, alteration in redox balance and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production have been detected in anxiety patients and in stressed-animal models of anxiety. Here we tested if the administration of apocynin, a natural origin antioxidant, may prevent the anxiety-like phenotype and reduction of histone acetylation induced by a subchronic forced swimming stress (FSS) paradigm. We found that apocynin prevented the enhanced latency time in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, and the production of malondialdehyde induced by FSS. Moreover, apocynin was able to block the upregulation of p47phox, a key subunit of the NADPH oxidase complex. Finally, apocynin prevented the rise of hippocampal Hdac1, Hdac4 and Hdac5, and the reduction of histone-3 acetylation levels promoted by FSS exposure. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that apocynin reduces the deleterious effect of stress and suggests that oxidative stress may regulate epigenetic mechanisms.

A Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) Protein Hydrolysate Exerts Anxiolytic-Like Effects in Western Diet-Fed ApoE−/− Mice

“…Although bioactive peptides from white eggs [ 70 ], salmon [ 71 ], bovine casein [ 72 ], or soy [ 29 ] have been described to exert anti-anxiety activity, to our knowledge, this is the first study to report the anxiolytic-like properties of a protein hydrolysate from lupin. High levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain have been widely reported to be two of the main contributing factors involved in the development of anxiety [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. Moreover, recent studies have shown a strong link between high cholesterol levels and anxiety [ 69 ].…”

“…Oxidative stress and inflammation play a key role in the anxiety process and memory impairment. In fact, alteration in redox balance, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and high circulating inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) have been detected both in anxiety patients and stressed animal models of anxiety [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]. In this line, our group has previously described that a Lupinus angustifolius protein hydrolysate (LPH) exerts hypocholesterolemic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in in vitro [ 45 ] and in vivo [ 46 , 47 ] models.…”

Molecular Docking and GC/MS‐Based Approach for Identification of Anxiolytic Alkaloids from Griffinia (Amaryllidaceae) Species in a Zebrafish Model

“…Griffinia liboniana was found to be composed by the alkaloids trisphaerdine (4), galanthamine (5), sanguinine (7), vittatinte(9a)/crinine (9b), narwerdine (10), nerinine (11), anhydrolycorine (12), crinan-3-one (13), pancratinine C (14) 11,12dehydroanhydrolycorine (15), 6α-hydroxyhippeastidine (16), haemanthamine (17), undulatiane diol (18), 11,12-dehydroassoanine (19), lycorine (20), 11,12-dehydro-2-methoxyanhydrolychorine (21), 11,12-dehydro-2-methoxyassoanine (22), 11,12dehydro-2-hydroxyanhydrolychorine (23), 11,12-dehydro-2-hydroxyasoanine (24) and 11,12-dihydro-2-methoxypratosine (25) in addition to the protoalkaloids hordeine (1) and methyltyramine isomer (2). To the best of our knowledge, there was no published chemical study of the species G. liboniana hitherto.…”

“…Anxiety is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders, affecting more than 380 million people worldwide. [17,18] Its treatment can be done through cognitive-behavioral or pharmacological therapies. In this regard, benzodiazepines have been among the most used drug classes for this purpose.…”

Mangiferin Alleviates Postpartum Depression–Like Behaviors by Inhibiting MAPK Signaling in Microglia

“…The NST was performed as previously described, with minor modifications (Barbieri et al, 2021). Briefly, before the test, the mice were deprived of food but had free access to water for 24 h. Each mouse was positioned into the device with food placed on white paper in the same direction and allowed to freely explore for 5 min.…”