Title of article :
Differential Effects of Resveratrol on the Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Transcripts and Protein in the Hippocampus of Rat Brain
Author/Authors :
Shojaei, Shahla Department of Clinical Biochemistry - School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences - Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan , Panjehshahin, Mohammad Reza Department of Pharmacology - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz , Shafiee, Mohammad Department of Biochemistry and Recombinant Protein Laboratory - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz , Khoshdel, Zahra Department of Biochemistry and Recombinant Protein Laboratory - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz , Borji, Mohammad Department of Biochemistry and Recombinant Protein Laboratory - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz , Ghasempour, Ghasem Department of Biochemistry and Recombinant Protein Laboratory - School of Medicine - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz , Owji, Ali Akbar Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Shiraz University of Medical Sciences - Shiraz
Abstract :
Background: The induction of brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus has shown to
play a role in the beneficial effects of resveratrol (RSV) on
the learning and memory. The BDNF gene has a complicated
structure with eight 5’ noncoding exons (I-IXa), each of which
can splice to a common coding exon (IX) to form a functional
transcript. Estrogens increase levels of BDNF transcripts in
the hippocampus of rats. The aim of this study was to evaluate
the effects of the phytoestrogen, RSV, on the splicing pattern
of BDNF transcripts and on the pro-BDNF protein in the
hippocampi of mother rats and their embryos.
Methods: RSV (60 or 120 mg/kg BW/day) was administered
orally to pregnant rats from days 1 to 20 of gestation.
Hippocampi of adults and embryos were dissected 24 h after
the last administration of RSV. Extracts from hippocampi were
subject to quantitative (q) RT-PCR and Western blotting to
assess splicing pattern of the BDNF transcripts and levels of
pro-BDNF protein, respectively.
Results: RSV (120 mg/kg BW/day) caused a statistically
significant increase in the expression levels of BDNF exons III,
IV and IX, but not the exon I in the hippocampi of adult rats
(P≤0.05). Levels of pro-BDNF protein remained unchanged
in the hippocampal tissues from both adult and embryonic rats
treated by RSV (60 or 120 mg/kg BW/day).
Conclusion: Our results showed that RSV differentially
activates promoters of the BDNF gene in the hippocampus of
pregnant rats, but fails to affect the pro-BDNF level neither in
adult nor in the embryonic hippocampal tissues.
Keywords :
Resveratrol , Brain-derived neurotrophic factor , Hippocampus , Rat
Journal title :
Astroparticle Physics
