Stress, inflammation and the reduced expression of neurotrophic factors are risk factors for depression. The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal stress affects IGF-1 - cytokine interactions by influencing suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in the brains of adult rats, in basal conditions and after acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. We demonstrated that prenatal stress leads to depression-like behavior, decreased IGF-1, increased IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ release and disturbed SOCS-1, SOCS-2 and SOCS-3 expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of adult offspring. Furthermore, prenatal stress enhances the brain response to LPS-evoked inflammatory challenges.
Keywords: Depression; Insulin-like growth factor-1; Prenatal stress; Pro-inflammatory cytokines; Suppressor of cytokine signaling.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.