Effect Of Chronic Variable Stress On Behavioural Changes and Urocortin On Wistar Rats

Abstract

newline ABSTRACT newlineOBJECTIVE newlineThe present study was aimed to assess the role of urocortin genes and their influence on behaviour, biochemical with brain monoamine changes by inducing chronic variable stress to the rats. newline newlineMATERIALS AND METHODS newlineRats were divided into four groups. Group I and II were divided as control group for open field and elevated plus maze, group III and IV as chronic variable stress for open field and elevated plus maze. Animals of group III and IV were subjected to chronic variable stress for 28 days and then behavioural assessment was done. After 28 days of stress, the animals were given a day rest (i.c.29th day) followed by the behavioural assessment. The rats exposed to different types of stress procedures were subjected to behavioural study with the help of two different assessments namely open field test and elevated plus maze. Animals were then sacrificed after the behavioural assessment and the blood and tissue samples were collected from rat for the biochemical, hormonal, histopathological and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. newlineRESULTS newlineEffect of chronic variable stress in behavioural study reveals that there is a significant change in locomotor activity and anxiety behaviour. There were also significant changes in weight, total protein, oxidant and anti-oxidant assays and it thereby leads to the significant increases in corticosterone, serotonin and noradrenalin levels along with significantly decrease in dopamine. The gene expression study shows a significant increase in Ucn1, Ucn2 and Ucn3. newline newlineCONCLUSION newlineFrom the results of our study, it is suggested that chronic variable stress has altered the activity of different systems such as Body weight, Behavioural changes and Histological changes of the brain, liver and kidney, which supports the central elevation of neurotransmitters and neurohormonal factors that are particularly those linked with the pituitary-adrenal axis, along with this the free radical generation and genes (UCN1,UCN2 and UCN3) responsible for chronic variable stress. newline newline newline