Journal
NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 343, Issue -, Pages 77-84Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.11.037
Keywords
depression; NLRP3 inflammasome; recognition memory; LPS; tail suspension test; forced swim test
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01NS078026, R01AT007317]
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine
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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) might affect the central nervous system by causing neuroinflammation, which subsequently leads to brain damage and dysfunction. In this study, we evaluated the role of nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in long-term behavioral alterations of 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice injected intraperitoneally with LPS (5 mg/kg). At different time points after injection, we assessed locomotor function with a 24-point neurologic deficit scoring system and the rotarod test; assessed recognition memory with the novel object recognition test; and assessed emotional abnormality (anhedonia and behavioral despair) with the tail suspension test, forced swim test, and sucrose preference test. We also assessed protein expression of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and caspase-1 p10 in hippocampus by Western blotting; measured levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF alpha), and IL-10 in hippocampus; measured TNF alpha and IL-1 beta in serum by ELISA; and evaluated microglial activity in hippocampus by lba1 immunofluorescence. We found that LPS-injected mice displayed long-term depression-like behaviors and recognition memory deficit; elevated expression of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 p10; increased levels of IL-1 beta, IL-18, and TNF alpha; decreased levels of IL-10; and increased microglial activation. These effects were blocked by the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor Ac-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone. The results demonstrate proof of concept that NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to long-term behavioral alterations in LPS-exposed mice, probably through enhanced inflammation, and that NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition might alleviate peripheral and brain inflammation and thereby ameliorate long-term behavioral alterations in LPS-exposed mice. (C) 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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