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  2. Acetyl-L-carnitine as a putative candidate for the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders: Novel evidence from a zebrafish model

Acetyl-L-carnitine as a putative candidate for the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders: Novel evidence from a zebrafish model

  • Neuropharmacology. 2019 May 15;150:145-152. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.024.
Matheus Marcon 1 Ricieri Mocelin 1 Diogo L de Oliveira 2 Alex Sander da Rosa Araujo 3 Ana P Herrmann 4 Angelo Piato 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • 2 Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • 3 Programa de Pós-graduação em Fisiologia, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • 4 Programa de Pós-graduação em Farmacologia e Terapêutica, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • 5 Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Farmacologia e Terapêutica, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA. Electronic address: angelopiato@ufrgs.br.
Abstract

Stress-related psychiatric disorders are mental conditions that affect mood, cognition and behavior and arise because of the impact of prolonged stress on the central nervous system (CNS). Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) is an acetyl ester of L-carnitine that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and was recently found to be decreased in patients with major depressive disorder. ALC plays a role in energy metabolism and is widely consumed as a nutritional supplement to improve physical performance. In this study, our objective was to evaluate the effects of ALC treatment (0.1 mg/L, 10 min) for 7 days on behavior and oxidative stress in zebrafish subjected to unpredictable chronic stress (UCS) protocol. Behavioral outcomes were assessed in the novel tank test, and parameters of oxidative status (lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defenses) were evaluated in the brain using colorimetric methods. According to our previous findings, UCS increased anxiety-like behavior and lipid peroxidation, while it decreased non-protein thiol levels and superoxide dismutase activity. However, ALC reversed the anxiety-like behavior and oxidative damage in stressed Animals, while it was devoid of effect in control Animals. Although our data reinforce the neuroprotective potential of ALC in the treatment of psychiatric disorders related to stress, further investigations are required to clarify its mechanisms of action and confirm its efficacy.

Keywords

Behavior; Lipid peroxidation; Neuroprotection; Oxidative stress; Unpredictable chronic stress.

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