一个中枢炎性免疫诱发长时程抑郁样行为的新模型

脂多糖(lipopolysaccharide, LPS)免疫激活模型是研究抑郁症细胞因子假说的重要动物模型, 目前国际上常用外周单次LPS注射诱发抑郁样行为, 但该模型中抑郁样行为持续仅有数小时。为建立诱发较长时程抑郁样行为的免疫激活动物模型, 本研究尝试侧脑室注射LPS激活大鼠中枢免疫炎性反应, 考察单次以及重复中枢LPS注射诱发抑郁样行为的效果, 以及中枢炎性免疫诱发行为改变的时程。结果显示：单次中枢LPS注射后24 h只能诱发旷场自发活动和探索行为下降等部分抑郁样行为, 未能诱导糖水偏好下降和悬尾不动时间增加; 3次重复注射则在末次LPS注射后24 h表现出显著的糖水偏好下降, 自发活动和探索行为减少, 悬尾不动时间增加等行为。且自发活动、探索行为减少和悬尾不动时间增加能够延续至末次LPS注射后72 h。这些结果表明脑室重复LPS注射可诱发较长时程的抑郁样行为, 这种新的中枢炎性免疫激活诱发的抑郁症模型, 为研究抑郁症炎性免疫机制提供了更为有效的动物模型, 有助于深入探讨行为和免疫功能间的复杂关系。

A New Animal Model of Depression Induced by Repeated Central Lipopolysaccharide Administration

The administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the cell wall of gram negative bacteria, is commonly-used method to cause immune activation and the release of cytokines both in the periphery and in the brain in rodents. The cytokine theory of depression indicated that pro-inflammatory cytokines play an important role in the pathological mechanism of depression. Many studies used the peripheral administration of LPS to induce depressive-like behaviors. However, in these studies, the altered behaviors usually last only a few hours, seldom longer than 24h. Such short-term depressive behavior can hardly be regarded as a model of depression.. Thus, the aim of the present study was therefore to develop a new animal model of depression with apparent depressive-like behavior at - and after- 24h post-LPS injection. In this study, single and triple central LPS administration were used to induce depressive-like behavior respectively. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into LPS group and control group. LPS (100ng/rat, one injection; or once every second day, total three times) or isotonic saline was administered by intracerebroventricular microinjection. The depressive-like behavior was measured by preference to saccharin, locomotor activity and immobility time of tail suspension. The result indicated that single central LPS injection induced partial depressive-like behaviors. There was significant difference in locomotor activity, but not in the preference of saccharin and immobility time of tail suspension. However, repeated central LPS administration induced significant depressive-like behaviors after 24h of the last LPS injection. The animals with triple central LPS administration consumed less saccharin solution, exhibited less locomotor activity in the open field, and maintained immobility time in tail suspension. The changes in locomotor activity and immobility time of tail suspension were even apparent until 72h after the last LPS injection. Our results demonstrate that a new effective model of depression can be established by means of repeated lateral ventricle LPS injections, and the induced depressive-like behavior has longer time duration than by the peripheral injection of LPS.