Early life stress effects on oxytocinergic system in rat brain

Background and Aim : Early-life environmental conditions significantly affect the offspring s development. Maternal deprivation (MD) can induce persistent changes in the brain. The oxytocin hormone that is produced in the central nervous system and some tissues could reduce stress-induced anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of MD on serum oxytocin level, and expression level of oxytocin and oxytocin receptor in the brain.Methods : Male offspring of Wistar rats (n=8 per group) were subjected to 3h of daily MD during postnatal days 1–14. In adulthood, serum oxytocin level was measured by ELISA method. The expression level of genes was determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR).Results : The results of this study showed that MD can decrease the serum level of oxytocin. Also, a significant decrease in oxytocin and a significant increase in oxytocin receptor mRNA level was observed in the brain of maternal-deprived rats.Conclusion : Our results suggest that MD induces alterations in the serum oxytocin levels and the expression of oxytocin and oxytocin receptor.

کلیدواژه ها:

Maternal deprivation ، Serum oxytocin level ، Oxytocin and Oxytocin receptor expression