:: Volume 4, Issue 3 (Int J Mol Cell Med 2015) ::
Int J Mol Cell Med 2015, 4(3): 182-187 Back to browse issues page
Expression of Melanocortin 4 Receptor mRNA in Male Rat Hypothalamus During Chronic Stress
Maryam Karami Kheirabad1 , Bahia Namavar Jahromi2 , Amin Tamadon 3, Amin Ramezani4 , Somayeh Ahmadloo2 , Fatemeh Sabet Sarvestani2 , Omid Koohi-Hosseinabadi5
1- Department of Basic Sciences, Azad University, Gachsaran Branch, Gachsaran, Iran.
2- Infertility Research Center, Department of OB-GYN, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
3- Transgenic Technology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. , amintamaddon@yahoo.com
4- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
5- Laboratory Animal Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Abstract:   (9189 Views)

The effects of chronic stress and glucocorticoids receptor antagonist (RU486) on expression of melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) mRNA in arcuate nucleus (ARC) of male rats were evaluated. In this study, adult male Sprague Dawley rats were placed into four groups (n=6/group) stress, RU486, stress/RU486, and control groups. In stress group, the rats were restrained, 1 h/day, for 12 days. In RU486 group, the rats were injected RU486 for 12 days. In stress/RU486 group, the rats were injected RU486 1 h before the stress process for 12 days. Relative expression of MC4R mRNA was determined using real-time PCR. Relative expression of MC4R mRNA in the stress group was higher than that of the control rats (P<0.05). Relative expressions of MC4R mRNA were not different between the stress, RU486 and stress/RU486 groups (P>0.05). Chronic restraint stress causes increase in mRNA expression of MC4R in ARC and blockade of glucocorticoid receptors has no effect on this up-regulation.
Keywords: Chronic stress, melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R), hypothalamus, rats
Full-Text [PDF 246 kb]   (3302 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Neurosciences
Received: 2015/06/5 | Accepted: 2015/07/26 | Published: 2015/08/10

XML     Print

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Volume 4, Issue 3 (Int J Mol Cell Med 2015) Back to browse issues page