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Oral Administration of Retinoic Acid Lowers Brain Serotonin Concentration in Rats
Author(s) -
Smazal Anne Lorraine,
Lee Schalinske Kevin
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.635.6
Subject(s) - retinoic acid , retinoid , dopamine , serotonin , oral administration , norepinephrine , endocrinology , pharmacology , neurotransmitter , medicine , in vivo , monoamine neurotransmitter , chemistry , systemic administration , biology , central nervous system , biochemistry , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , gene
Major depressive disorder has been associated with lowered functionality of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain. Oral retinoid therapy has been reported to induce sudden and severe depressive symptoms in adolescents and adults. Retinoid compounds have been shown to negatively impact neurotransmitter synthesis and transport in vitro, whereas animal models of retinoid therapy and brain health have traditionally utilized intraperitoneal administration of retinoic compounds and focused on depressive behaviors. To our knowledge, no previous in vivo studies have used oral administration to demonstrate the impact of retinoid compounds on neurotransmitters in the brain. In this study, male Sprague‐Dawley rats received oral administration of either all‐trans‐retinoic acid or vehicle daily. After 9 days, rats were sacrificed and brain tissue was collected for analysis. Rats receiving all‐trans‐retinoic acid had a significant (48%) decrease in brain serotonin concentrations compared to control. Neither norepinephrine nor dopamine levels were impacted by oral dosage of all‐trans‐retinoic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of lowered brain serotonin concentrations resulting from oral administration of retinoic acid and represents a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent major depressive disorder owing to retinoid usage. Support: College of Human Sciences, ISU. Grant Funding Source : College of Human Sciences, ISU