OXYTOCIN ADMINISTRATION IMPROVES MEMORY, ANXIETY AND SOME OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS IN A METHIONINEINDUCED RAT MODEL OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
MANUELA PĂDURARIU 1, MIRUNA BALMUȘ 2, ALIN CIOBÎCĂ 2,3, RADU LEFTER 2,4, SABINA COJOCARU 2, IULIA ANTIOCH 2, HARQUIN FOYET 5, ROMEO DOBRIN 1, DANIELA CARMEN ABABEI 1*, VERONICA BILD 1
1“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universității Street, 700115, Iași, Romania
2“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Faculty of Biology, Department of Research, 11 Carol I Boulevard, Iași, Romania
3Academy of Romanian Scientists, 54 Splaiul Independenței Street, District 5, 050094, Bucharest, Romania
4Romanian Academy, Center of Biomedical Research, 8 Carol I Boulevard, Iași, Romania
5University of Maroua, Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 814, Maroua, Cameroon
*corresponding author: dana.ababei@gmail.com
Download Full Article

Abstract:
Lately there is an increased interest in understanding the possible relevance of oxytocin administration in the schizophrenic
pathology. Also, currently in the literature there are models of schizophrenia, such as the one based on methionine administration,
capable of replicating both positive and negative specific symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as the cognitive deficits from
this disorder, which are believed to affect up to 75% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. In this context, in the present
paper we were interested in preliminary revealing the effects of intraperitoneally oxytocin administration for 9 days, in a new
approach, in a rat model of schizophrenia generated by administration of methionine for 2 weeks, on the memory and anxiety
deficits induced by methionine administration (as studied in Y maze and elevated plus maze tasks), as well as on the oxidative
stress markers (two antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase-SOD and glutathione peroxidase-GPX, and the lipid peroxidation
biomarker, malondialdehyde-MDA) from the temporal lobe. Our results showed some ameliorative effects of oxytocin
administration on the immediate spatial memory (increased spontaneous alternation in Y maze) and anxiety-induced deficits
(oxytocin increased the time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze) generated by the methionine-induced rat
model of schizophrenia. Even more, oxytocin administration exerted some antioxidant effects in this model, as demonstrated by
increased specific activity of GPX and reduced levels of MDA from the temporal lobe in the methionine + oxytocin group, as
compared to the methionine group of rats. However, no significant modifications in SOD specific activity were found. This
could have further relevance for the mechanistic behind the administration of oxytocin in the schizophrenia pathophysiology.

Top