ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Background. Recent studies suggested that MPTP could cause gastrointestinal motility deficits additionally to its nonconclusive and controverted effects on the CNS (behavior and brain oxidative stress) in rats. A possible interaction between MPTP typical impairments and magnesium modulatory potential was previously suggested, as magnesium role was described in neuroprotection, gastrointestinal function, and oxidative stress. Aim. To investigate the possible modulatory effect of several magnesium intake formulations (via drinking water) in MPTP neurotoxicity and functional gastrointestinal impairment induction. Materials and Methods. Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to 3-week magnesium intake-controlled diets (magnesium depleted food and magnesium enriched drinking water) previously to acute subcutaneous MPTP treatment (30 mg/ kg body weight). Gastrointestinal motility (one hour stool collection test), and behavioral patterns (Y maze task, elevated plus maze test, open field test, forced swim test) were evaluated. Followingly, brain and bowel samples were collected, and oxidative stress was evaluated (glutathione peroxidase activity, malondial-dehyde concentrations). Results. MPTP could lead to magnesium intakedependent constipation-like gastrointestinal motility impairments, anxiety- and depressive-like affective behavior changes, and mild pain tolerance defects. Also, we found similar brain and intestinal patterns in magnesium-dependent oxidative stress. Conclusion. While the MPTP effects in normal magnesium intake could be regarded as not fully relevant in rat models and limited to the current experimental conditions, the abnormalities observed in the affective behavior, gastrointestinal status, pain tolerance, peripheric and central oxidative status could be indicative of the extent of the systemic effects of MPTP that are not restricted to the CNS level, but also to gastro-intestinal system.

Oxytocin is a complex molecule involved in a variety of biological processes at both the central and the peripheral level. Although its role was initially associated almost exclusively with birth and breastfeeding, recent studies are suggesting that in fact oxytocin could be involved in many other physiological and pathological processes. In this way, lately there is a growing interest towards a possible involvement of oxytocin in many etiopathogenic and psychopathological processes, as for example in the affective disorders, where the roles of oxytocin are not yet clearly understood. In this paper we shortly describe the main aspects regarding the relevance of oxytocin administration or its mechanisms in the affective disorders, as well as its relations with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cortisol secretion. It seems that although the researches on the importance of oxytocin in the affective disorders are rather at the beginning, an increasing number of evidence is supporting the involvement of oxytocin in the pathogenic processes of these psychiatric disorders. Still, the studies covering this topic are still in their early days, and the results that are trying to understand if there is a major role of oxytocin in affective disorders are not consistent enough to draw definitive conclusions and establish with certainty where the place of oxytocin in the affective disorders pathology is

Background. Following recent years, there is an increased body of literature on the connections that might exist between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the efficiency of bariatric surgery in its reversal compared to other medical approaches such as dieting. Aim. To induce experimentally type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats in order to observe the effects of bariatric surgery in the recovery as well as the reestablishment of normal insulin levels in order to extend the findings in house animals. Materials and methods. This study was conducted in three stages: the first consisted in inducing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in 40 young Wistar male rats, by initially feeding them human food high in vegetal fats, oleaginous seeds, simple and complex carbohydrates, sugars, lipids, fats, proteins and fructose for a period of 8 weeks followed by a single low dose of streptozotocin (STZ), administered through intraperitoneal injection. The second stage of the study started when the rats became obese and therefore qualified for the bariatric procedure and the third stage consisted of post-operation supervision and care. The surgical procedure, performed on 10 obese rats, consisted in reducing the size of the stomach by partial gastrectomy of a 1.5 – 2.0 cm wide and 6.5 – 7.5 cm long area on the large curvature. Results. Showed rapid improvements in body weight and blood sugar control after 9 days. Conclusion. After putting the rats on a diet high in carbohydrates, sugars, lipids and fats and administering them STZ, the induction of type 2 diabetes was successful and the partial gastrectomy led to a better blood sugar control. The bariatric procedure provides a faster therapeutic response than conventional diets.

Context. Many negative effects of stress regarding cognitive performances and gastrointestinal habits were previously reported in both animal models and human participants. Objective. We aimed to compare perceived stress levels with declared gastrointestinal habits changes in a small cohort of college students during academic acquisition and evaluation periods. Design. College students were recruited and divided into two groups: the control group evaluated during the acquisition period of the academic year and the stressed group evaluated during the examination period. Subject and Methods. The students’ psychological and gastrointestinal status was evaluated using a common stress questionnaire and a gastrointestinal habits survey. Results. Our results showed increased perceived stress in college students during stressful conditions, as compared to lesser demanding periods. Similarly, more than 40%of the participants declared that gastrointestinal habits changes occurred during stressful periods. We observed significant correlations between the perceived stress levels and gastrointestinal habits changes. Conclusion. This small-sized survey study showed that the occurrence of the stressful event in young adults recorded higher perceived stress scores and frequent functional gastrointestinal symptoms, as compared to the lower stressful periods. Also, we showed that functional gastrointestinal symptoms are rather common and could be regarded as a negative response to stress.

The stress response is mediated by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system.\r\nActivity of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) forms the basis of the HPAaxis.\r\nBehavioral and endocrine responsivity to threat and their ontogenetic changes may be\r\nmediated by PVN.\r\nMethods. 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) remains the most widely used substance in\r\nanimal models for inducing highly reproducible brain lesions. In our study, parvocellular neurons\r\nfrom the PVN of male Wistar rats were chemical lesioned by right-unilateral stereotaxic injection\r\nof two different doses of 6-OHDA (8μg/3μl and 16μg/3μl) and were subjected to a battery of\r\nbehavioral tests designed to assess spatial memory formation (radial arm-maze task) and anxiety\r\n(elevated plus maze). Further, we were interested in knowing whether a 6-OHDA lesion of the\r\nPVN would result in an imbalance in neuronal oxidative stress levels.\r\nResults. 6-OHDA-induced PVN lesions significantly increased the number of\r\nworking memory errors, suggesting effects on short-term memory, without affecting longterm\r\nmemory, explored by number of reference memory errors in radial arm-maze task. In\r\nelevated plus maze measuring anxiety, 6-OHDA significantly diminished anxiety-like\r\nbehavior in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the neurotoxin induced a reduction in\r\nsuperoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) specific activities, while\r\nmalondialdehyde (MDA) level was found increased in the temporal lobe of rat brain, the\r\nmost vulnerable cortical area to oxidative stress effects.\r\nConclusion. Results suggest that 6-OHDA lesion of the PVN affects behavioral\r\nperformance via interactions with systems governing arousal level and possibly by\r\nincreasing neuronal oxidative stress.