RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) is a glycoprotein hormone that is widely expressed in mammalian kidney, heart, and thymus. However, the potential function of STC2 in the brain is less understood. In this study, we investigated whether treatment with STC2 influenced cell proliferation and neurogenesis in imprinting control region (ICR) mice. METHODS: 100 nM STC2 and 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) (50 mg/kg) were administered intracerebroventricularly and intraperitoneally, respectively. On days 1 and 21 after the BrdU injection, sections of STC2-treated group and controls were carried out immunohistochemistry using anti-BrdU and anti-phosphor-cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) antibody. RESULTS: We found that the number of BrdU-positive cells was significantly increased in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), compared with controls. Next, we observed that CREB phosphorylation was decreased in the hippocampal DG of STC2-treated group versus the controls. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that STC2 treatment may increase cell proliferation by increasing CREB phosphorylation in the subgranular zone of the DG.