Brain monoamine receptors in a chronic unpredictable stress model in rats

Antidepressant drugs are devoid of mood-elevating effects in normal (non-depressed) human subjects, thus, it is necessary to evaluate the antidepressant property of compounds (drugs) in animal models of depression. Several animal models of depression have been introduced, however, only a few have been extensively validated. In the present study we report the results of investigations into monoaminergic receptors in the brain of rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) procedure (one of the well validated animal models of depression). We have examined the dopaminergic (D-l, D-2), adrenergic (alpha -1, beta -1) and serotonergic (5HT-1A, 5HT-2A) receptors in different brain regions by a saturation radioligand binding method in rats subjected to CUS paradigm and control animals. CUS procedure resulted in a significant 29% increase in the D-l receptor density in the limbic system and 52% increase of the density of 5HT-2A receptors in the cerebral cortex. The present data indicate that the increase of the density of brain D-l and 5HT-2A receptors of rats subjected to CUS might be involved in the pathophysiology of "animal depression" (since chronic antidepressant treatment produced opposite changes i.e. decrease in the density of these receptors) and thus in pathophysiology of human depression.