Abstract
BackgroundCholesterol is an essential component of brain and nerve cells and is essential for maintaining the function of the nervous system. Epidemiological studies showed that patients suffering from anxiety disorders have higher serum cholesterol levels. In this study, we investigated the influence of high cholesterol diet on anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze in animal model and explored the relationship between cholesterol and anxiety-like behavior from the aspect of central neurochemical changes.MethodsYoung (3 weeks old) and adult (20 weeks old) rats were given a high cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. The anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze test and changes of central neurochemical implicated in anxiety were measured.ResultsIn young rats, high cholesterol diet induced anxiolytic-like behavior, decreased serum corticosterone (CORT), increased hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), increased hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and decreased glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In adult rats, high cholesterol diet induced anxiety-like behavior and increase of serum CORT and decrease of hippocampal BDNF comparing with their respective control group that fed the regular diet.DiscussionHigh cholesterol diet induced age-dependent effects on anxiety-like behavior and central neurochemical changes. High cholesterol diet might affect the central nervous system (CNS) function differently, and resulting in different behavior performance of anxiety in different age period.
Highlights
Cholesterol is an essential component of all cell membranes and plays an important role in maintaining the structure and function of every system of the body including the nervous system [1,2,3]
These results suggested that the high-cholesterol diet (HCD) group displayed anxiolytic-like behavior in young rats and displayed anxiety-like behavior in adult rats comparing to their
We found that serum CORT levels decreased 29.89% in young rats and increased 34.23% in adult rats after high cholesterol diets treatment compared to their respective control groups, there were no statistical significances
Summary
Cholesterol is an essential component of all cell membranes and plays an important role in maintaining the structure and function of every system of the body including the nervous system [1,2,3]. Elevated serum cholesterol level is generally considered to be the most important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We investigated the effects of high cholesterol diets on anxiety-like behavior tested in elevated plus maze in young (3 weeks old) and adult (20 weeks old) Sprague– Dawley rats, and explored the relationship between cholesterol and anxiety-like behavior from the aspect of central neurochemical changes. Epidemiological studies showed that patients suffering from anxiety disorders have higher serum cholesterol levels. We investigated the influence of high cholesterol diet on anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze in animal model and explored the relationship between cholesterol and anxiety-like behavior from the aspect of central neurochemical changes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
