Antidepressants of different classes cause distinct behavioral and brain pro- and anti-inflammatory changes in mice submitted to an inflammatory model of depression.

BACKGROUND: Depressed patients present increased plasma levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and neuroinflammatory alterations. Here, we determined the neuroimmune effects of different classes of ADs by using the LPS inflammatory model of depression. METHODS: Male rats received amitriptyline (AMI) a tricyclic, S-citalopram (ESC) a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, tranylcypromine (TCP) a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, vortioxetine (VORT) a multimodal AD or saline for ten days. One-hour after the last AD administration, rats were exposed to LPS 0.83 mg/kg or saline and 24 h later were tested for depressive-like behavior. Plasma corticosterone, brain levels of nitrite, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, phospho-cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein (CREB) and nuclear factor (NF)-kB p 65 were determined. RESULTS: LPS induced despair-like, impaired motivation/self-care behavior and caused anhedonia. All ADs prevented LPS-induced despair-like behavior, but only VORT rescued impaired self-care behavior. All ADs prevented LPS-induced increase in brain pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6] and T-helper 1 cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon-γ]. VORT increased striatal and hypothalamic IL-4 levels. All ADs prevented LPS-induced neuroendocrine alterations represented by increased levels of hypothalamic nitrite and plasma corticosterone response. VORT and ESC prevented LPS-induced increase in NF-kBp65 hippocampal expression, while ESC, TCP and VORT, but not IMI, prevented the alterations in phospho-CREB expression. LIMITATIONS: LPS model helps to understand depression in a subset of depressed patients with immune activation. The levels of neurotransmitters were not determined. CONCLUSION: This study provides new evidence for the immunomodulatory effects of ADs, and shows a possible superior anti-inflammatory profile of TCP and VORT.

Leptin Prevents Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors in Mice: Involvement of Dopamine Receptors.

Depression is a chronic and recurrent disorder, associated with high morbidity and risk of suicide. Leptin was firstly described as an anti-obesity hormone, but several actions of leptin in CNS have been reported. In fact, leptin regulates dopaminergic neurotransmission in mesolimbic areas and has antidepressant-like properties in stress-based models. In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, putative antidepressant-like effects of leptin in an animal model of depressive-like behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the potential involvement of dopamine receptors as mediators of those behavioral effects. Mice were injected leptin (1.5 mg/kg, IP) or imipramine prior to LPS administration. To evaluate the involvement of dopamine receptors, different experimental groups were pretreated with either the dopaminergic antagonist SCH23390, for D1 receptors or raclopride, for D2/D3 receptors, prior to leptin injection. Twenty-four hours post-LPS, mice were submitted to the forced swimming and sucrose preference tests. In addition, IL-1ß levels were determined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus and striatum. BDNF levels were measured in the hippocampus. Our results showed that leptin, similarly to imipramine, prevented the core behavioral alterations induced by LPS (despair-like behavior and anhedonia), without altering locomotion. In neurochemical analysis, leptin restored LPS-induced changes in IL-1ß levels in the PFC and striatum, and increased BDNF levels in the hippocampus. The blockade of dopamine D1 and D2/D3 receptors inhibited leptin's antidepressant-like effects, whilst only the blockade of D1-like receptors blunted leptin-induced increments in prefrontal IL-1ß levels. Our results indicate that leptin has antidepressant-like effects in an inflammatory model of depression with the contribution, at least partial, of dopamine receptors.

Medidas de prevenção e controle de infecções neonatais: opinião da equipe de enfermagem / Prevention and control measures of neonatal infections: nursing team’s Opinion

Este artigo objetivou conhecer a opinião da equipe de enfermagem sobre as medidas de prevenção e controle das infecções neonatais em recém-nascidos. Estudo descritivo, realizado em uma unidade neonatal de Fortaleza-CE, Brasil, de junho a outubro/2009. A amostra foi composta de 52 profissionais da equipe de enfermagem e a coleta de dados realizada por meio de questionário. Verificou-se que a lavagem das mãos foi referida por 48 (92,3%) dos profissionais como eficaz para a prevenção de infecção, seguida do uso de equipamentos individuais de proteção 21 (40,23%). Já a punção venosa foi citada por 45 (86,5%) como risco de infecção. A equipe de enfermagem demonstrou conhecimento suficiente acerca do assunto abordado.