Pro-social and anxiolytic-like behavior following a single 24-h exposure to 17β-estradiol in adult male zebrafish

Andréia B Moraes; Ana C V V Giacomini; Rafael Genario; Leticia Marcon; Naiara Scolari; Barbara W Bueno; Konstantin A Demin; Tamara G Amstislavskaya; Tatyana Strekalova; Marta C Soares; Murilo S de Abreu; Allan V Kalueff

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135591

Pro-social and anxiolytic-like behavior following a single 24-h exposure to 17β-estradiol in adult male zebrafish

Neurosci Lett. 2021 Mar 16:747:135591. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135591. Epub 2020 Dec 24.

Affiliations

¹ Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
² Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil; Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
³ Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
⁴ Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medcial Research Center, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Granov Russian Scientific Research Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Neuroscience Program, Sirius University, Sochi, Russia.
⁵ Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia; Zelman Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Netherlands; Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Sechenov 1st Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Research Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia.
⁷ CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal.
⁸ The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA; Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology and Neurobiology, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia; Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: abreu_murilo@hotmail.com.
⁹ School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia. Electronic address: avkalueff@gmail.com.

PMID: 33359732
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135591

Abstract

Estradiol (17β-estradiol, E₂) is a crucial estrogen hormone that regulates sexual, cognitive, social and affective behaviors in various species. However, complex central nervous system (CNS) effects of E₂, including its activity in males, remain poorly understood. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is rapidly becoming a powerful novel model system in translational neuroscience research. Here, we evaluate the effects of a single 24-h exposure to 20 μg/L of E₂ on behavioral and endocrine (cortisol) responses in adult male zebrafish. Overall, E₂ exerted pro-social effect in the social preference test, reduced whole-body cortisol levels, elevated exploration in the novel tank test and increased the shoal size in the shoaling test, indicative of an anxiolytic-like profile of this hormone in male zebrafish. Supporting mounting human and rodent evidence on the role of E₂ in behavioral regulation, the observed pro-social and anxiolytic-like effects of E₂ in male zebrafish reinforce the use of this aquatic organism in studying steroid-mediated CNS mechanisms of complex affective and social behaviors.

Keywords: Anxiety; Anxiety-like behavior; Cortisol; Estrogens; Social behavior.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Anti-Anxiety Agents / pharmacology*
Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
Endocrine System / drug effects*
Estradiol / pharmacology*
Male
Motor Activity / drug effects
Social Behavior
Time Factors
Zebrafish

Substances

Anti-Anxiety Agents
Estradiol