Stellate ganglion block attenuates chronic stress induced depression in rats.

Weiwei Wang,Tong Wang,Weidong Shi,Xijin Deng,Wenzhi Li,Hua Qian,Alexandra Kavushansky

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183995

Abstract

BackgroundStress is a significant factor in the etiology of depression. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) has been shown to maintain the stability of the autonomic system and to affect the neuroendocrine system, including the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The objective of this study was to determine the antidepressant-like effects of SGB on the autonomic system and the HPA axis, apoptosis-related proteins, related spatial learning and memory impairment, and sensorimotor dysfunction.MethodsForty-eight Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to four experimental groups: control + saline (sham group), control + SGB (SGB group), unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) + saline (UCMS group), and UCMS + SGB (UCSG group). Stress-induced effects and the function of SGB were assessed using measures of body weight, coat state, sucrose consumption, and behavior in open-field and Y-maze tests. Neuronal damage was assessed histologically using the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining method, while western blotting was used to investigate changes in the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Plasma corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT), noradrenaline and adrenaline were measured to evaluate changes in the autonomic system and HPA axis.ResultsSGB treatment significantly improved sensorimotor dysfunction and spatial learning and memory impairment following UCMS. Moreover, UCMS significantly decreased body weight, sucrose preference and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, and increased scores on measures of coat state, adrenal gland weight, levels of CORT, CRF, ACTH, noradrenaline and adrenaline, as well as increased neuronal loss, cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, and the pro-apoptotic protein Bax. These symptoms were attenuated by treatment with SGB.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that SGB can attenuate depression-like behaviors induced by chronic stress. These protective effects appear to be due to an anti-apoptotic mechanism of two stress pathways–the autonomic system and the HPA axis.

Highlights

Depression, a series of disorders affecting many aspects of human physiology, is a public health problem with high morbidity and mortality rates [1]
Stellate ganglion block attenuates depression in rats. These findings suggest that SGB can attenuate depression-like behaviors induced by chronic stress
These protective effects appear to be due to an anti-apoptotic mechanism of two stress pathways–the autonomic system and the HPA axis

Summary

Introduction

Depression, a series of disorders affecting many aspects of human physiology, is a public health problem with high morbidity and mortality rates [1]. It is one of the costliest diseases in the European Union, where costs of affective disorders exceeded 113 billion euro in 2010 [2]. Changes in physiology induced by the stress response include the activation of the autonomic nervous system (overactivity of the sympathetic-adrenomedullary system) and the activation of multiple neuroendocrine axes [4, 5]. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) has been shown to maintain the stability of the autonomic system and to affect the neuroendocrine system, including the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The objective of this study was to determine the antidepressant-like effects of SGB on the autonomic system and the HPA axis, apoptosis-related proteins, related spatial learning and memory impairment, and sensorimotor dysfunction

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion