Analysis of a Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitor in a Treatment-resistant Depression Model in the Rat
Faculty Sponsor’s Department
Biomedical Sciences
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Russell Brown
Type
Poster: Competitive
Project's Category
Healthcare and Medicine, Medicine, Behavioral Problems or Disorders
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Over 16 million people in the US suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) each year. Approximately 1/3rd of MDD patients (~5 million) obtain only partial remission or no benefit after trials with multiple drugs or drug combinations. Recently, Ordway and colleagues have reportedelevated levels of DNA oxidation and upregulated gene expression of the base excision repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) in postmortem brain from donors who had MDD at the time of death, as compared to age-matched psychiatrically normal control donors. This study was designed to test whether an inhibitor of PARP, 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), may be effective to alleviate depressive-like behaviors in a rodent model of treatment-resistant depression. Male rats were ip administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS;100ug/kg) daily for 28 days, and administered a chronic unpredictable stressor on each day. All rats were also administered saline, 3-AB (40 mg/kg), or the serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (trade name: Prozac; 10 mg/kg) on each day, approximately 30 min after LPS treatment. During the 28 day period of LPS treatment, animals were behaviorally tested 5 times on sucrose preference (a test of anhedonia). At the end of the 28 day period, rats were behaviorally tested on a test of acute stress, the Porsolt swim test. Results revealed that 3-AB alleviated anhedonia and the response to acute stress in the Porsolt swim test superior to the fluoxetine group, demonstrating the utility of a PARP inhibitor to alleviate depressive-like behavior in this model. In addition, fluoxetine produced a loss of weight which recovered over days, but not to control levels, and 3-AB did not produce this effect. This study shows that PARP inhibitors may be effective in treatment-resistant depression.
Analysis of a Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitor in a Treatment-resistant Depression Model in the Rat
Over 16 million people in the US suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) each year. Approximately 1/3rd of MDD patients (~5 million) obtain only partial remission or no benefit after trials with multiple drugs or drug combinations. Recently, Ordway and colleagues have reportedelevated levels of DNA oxidation and upregulated gene expression of the base excision repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) in postmortem brain from donors who had MDD at the time of death, as compared to age-matched psychiatrically normal control donors. This study was designed to test whether an inhibitor of PARP, 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), may be effective to alleviate depressive-like behaviors in a rodent model of treatment-resistant depression. Male rats were ip administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS;100ug/kg) daily for 28 days, and administered a chronic unpredictable stressor on each day. All rats were also administered saline, 3-AB (40 mg/kg), or the serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (trade name: Prozac; 10 mg/kg) on each day, approximately 30 min after LPS treatment. During the 28 day period of LPS treatment, animals were behaviorally tested 5 times on sucrose preference (a test of anhedonia). At the end of the 28 day period, rats were behaviorally tested on a test of acute stress, the Porsolt swim test. Results revealed that 3-AB alleviated anhedonia and the response to acute stress in the Porsolt swim test superior to the fluoxetine group, demonstrating the utility of a PARP inhibitor to alleviate depressive-like behavior in this model. In addition, fluoxetine produced a loss of weight which recovered over days, but not to control levels, and 3-AB did not produce this effect. This study shows that PARP inhibitors may be effective in treatment-resistant depression.