Influence of progestational stress on BDNF and NMDARs in the hippocampus of male offspring and amelioration by Chaihu Shugan San

Xu Y, Wang X, Wang M, Liu Y, Xue Z, Chen J · Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy · 2021 March

DOI 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.111204

Objective

To investigate whether Chaihu Shugan San ameliorates hippocampal neural development in offspring exposed to progestational anxiety-like stress by regulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2A and 2B expression, and to explore the underlying mechanism.

Conclusions

Chaihu Shugan San could ameliorate hippocampal neural development in offspring damaged by anxiety-like progestational stress in female rats by regulating estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, and progesterone receptor expression in the ovaries of female rats and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2A, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B expression in the hippocampus of their offspring.

Critical Appraisal

Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.

This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.

Learn more about Critical Appraisal

Insights

Chaihu Shugan San has the potential to counteract negative impacts of progestational stress on hippocampal neural development in rat offspring.

In this research, thirty-six female rats were divided into control, chronic immobilization stress (CIS), and Chaihu Shugan San (CSS) groups. All female rats, barring those in the control group, are subjected to CIS for a stipulated period of 21 days as a way to create a model for progestational stress. Data collected includes body weight, behavior on an elevated plus-maze, serum dopamine levels, and the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors. In parallel, the offspring of these rats were divided into the same three groups, and their hippocampal tissue morphology and concentrations of BDNF, NR2A, and NR2B were carefully studied after a set period. The results derived show noticeable differences in body weight, maze-test performance, and dopamine levels between the CIS group and the control group for females. Similarly, in the female rat offspring subjected to CIS, several significant alterations were found, including nuclear chromatin arrangement, nucleus morphology, cytoplasmic staining, and concentrations of BDNF, NR2A, and NR2B. Interestingly, these stress-induced changes are noticeably reversed in the CSS group, strengthening the hypothesis of how Chaihu Shugan San can modify and lessen the impacts of progestational stress.