Salivary microRNA and Metabolic Profiles in a Mouse Model of Subchronic and Mild Social Defeat Stress

Abstract

Identification of early biomarkers of stress is important for preventing mood and anxiety disorders. Saliva is an easy-to-collect and non-invasive diagnostic target. The aim of this study was to characterize the changes in salivary whole microRNAs (miRNAs) and metabolites in mice subjected to subchronic and mild social defeat stress (sCSDS). In this study, we identified seven upregulated and one downregulated miRNAs/PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) in the saliva of sCSDS mice. One of them, miR-208b-3p, which is reported as a reliable marker for myocardial infarction, was upregulated in the saliva of sCSDS mice. Histological analysis showed frequent myocardial interstitial fibrosis in the heart of such mice. In addition, gene ontology and pathway analyses suggested that the pathways related to energy metabolism, such as the oxidative phosphorylation and the pentose phosphate pathway, were significantly related to the miRNAs affected by sCSDS in saliva. In contrast, salivary metabolites were not significantly changed in the sCSDS mice, which is consistent with our previous metabolomic study on the plasma of sCSDS mice. Taken in the light of previous studies, the present study provides novel potential stress biomarkers for future diagnosis using saliva.

Metabolic profiles of saliva in male mouse models of chronic sleep disorders induced by psychophysiological stress

“…Therefore, the increase in brain lactate levels in CSD mice seemed to be caused by chronic sleep impairment and not by awakening. Others have found contradictory effects of lactate levels between the brain and saliva in mouse models of social defeat stress 41 , 45 ; the present findings were similar. Salivary lactate appears to be derived from host circulation via the salivary glands rather than microbes, because lactate concentrations are identical between whole mouth and parotid saliva 46 .…”

“…However, we also identified an unusual metabolic profile in a participant with a PSQI of 6, which was considerably higher than of the others (PSQI ≤ 3; data not shown). Furthermore, salivary metabolites except for lactate were only slightly affected in a mouse model of social defeat stress 41 . These results suggested that serious sleep disorders affect salivary metabolic profiles whereas simple sleep restriction or a depression-like state does not.…”

MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Mental Disorders: Diagnostic and Prognostic Implications

“…Было установлено, что микроРНК участвуют в различных биологических процессах в центральной нервной системе, включая рост и развитие нейронов, синаптическую пластичность и передачу нервных импульсов с помощью нейромедиаторов, которые имеют непосредственное отношение к психическим функциям животных и человека [11,12]. В последние годы микроРНК активно исследуются как потенциальные биомаркеры психологического статуса [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] и психических расстройств [21][22][23][24].…”