Introduction: To explore the changes in C-reactive protein (CRP) level in different regions of one old offspring rats exposed to prenatal stress (PS).
Methods: The rat model was constructed with prenatal restraint stress on pregnant dams on days 14-20 of gestation. Offspring rats were randomly divided into PS susceptibility (PS-S) group and control (CON) group. Behavioral experiments including sucrose preference test (SPT), open-field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) were used to measure depressive-like behaviors. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were applied to detect the changes in CRP level.
Results: The results showed that PS could cause depressive-like behaviors in all SPT, OFT, and FST. Concomitantly, CRP mRNA and protein expression significantly increased in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus in the PS-S group when compared that in the CON group, while no significantly changes in liver, heart, olfactory bulb, striatum, and cerebellum in the PS-S group when compared that in the CON group.
Conclusion: Increasing of CRP expression in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus may play a critical role in the mechanism under depressive-like behavior in offspring rats exposed to PS.
Keywords: C-reactive protein; depressive-like behavior; prenatal stress.
© 2021 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.