Preliminary evidence shows that ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (E-EPA) has a marked clinical effect when used as an adjunct in therapy-refractory depression. EPA belongs to the class of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The mechanism of its action in depression is not fully understood. There are two rel...

Proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1beta can cause cognitive impairment, activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and impair monoaminergic neurotransmission in the rat. IL-1beta has also been shown to increase the concentration of the inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in t...

This review summarizes some of the evidence which implicates an increase in the peripheral and central secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the behavioural changes seen in some stress-induced and brain lesion models of depression. Following a consideration of the role of cytokines in the perip...

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Interleukin (IL)-1beta is a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in modulating inflammation and stress responses in the brain. Central administration of IL-1beta impairs both memory functions and long-term potentiation (LTP) induction. However, the molecular events responsible for the downstream effec...

Central administration of 15 ng interleukin (IL)-1beta in the rat significantly enhanced conditioned fear memory assessed by a passive avoidance task, when retested at 24 and 48 h post-training. Pain threshold was unaffected by 15 ng IL-1beta administration. IL-1beta treatment also increased serum c...

BACKGROUND: Animal studies have demonstrated seasonal changes in immune function mediated by nocturnal melatonin duration as a biological signal for photoperiod. Recent research has highlighted the potential role of neuroimmune dysfunction in depressive disorders. The etiology of winter depression (...

Previously, we have reported that interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) induces changes in dopaminergic (DA) and serotonergic systems in the core of nucleus accumbens (NAc). We have also demonstrated that n-3 fatty acid ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (EPA) can significantly reduce stress and anxiety-like behaviors, co...

Hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is one of the main sources of arginine vasopressin (AVP) synthesis and secretion. AVP is the most important bioactive substance in PVN regulating pain process. Our pervious study has pointed that pain stimulation induced AVP increase in the nucleus raphe ma...

Bilateral olfactory bulbectomy results in changes in behavior, and in the endocrine, immune and neurotransmitter systems, that simulates many of those seen in patients with major depression. The olfactory system in the rat forms a part of the limbic region in which the amygdala and hippocampus contr...

Omega (n)-3 and n-6 fatty acids are important membrane components of neurons and immune cells, and related to psychiatric and inflammatory diseases. Increased ratio of n-6/n-3 in the blood has been reported in depressed patients and in students following stress exposure. The n-3 fatty acid, eicosape...

The present study demonstrated that an omega (n)-3 fatty acid, ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (ethyl-EPA), supplemented diet significantly attenuated the stress/anxiety behavior of rats in the "open field" and elevated plus maze, which was induced by subchronic intracerebroventricular adminis...

Recent evidence has suggested that an imbalance between membrane (n-3) and (n-6) fatty acids may contribute to the etiology of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, the mechanisms by which eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and arachidonic acid (AA) modulate...

The effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on rat antinociception was investigated. Intraventricular injection of 50 or 100ng AVP dose-dependently increased the pain threshold; In contrast, intraventricular injection of 10mul anti-AVP serum decreased the threshold; both intrathecal injection of 200ng ...

Reviews the interaction between anxiety and the immune system and modulating effects of benzodiazepines. Research indicates that anxiety induces immune-inflammatory changes pointing toward the complex regulatory responses in interleukin-6 signalling, decreased anti-inflammatory capacity of the serum...

Investigated the effects of chronic treatment with serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) reuptake inhibitors, fluvoxamine (FL) and sertraline (SE) for 20 days on the behavior, neurotransmitter concentrations, and immune functions in the olfactory bulbectomized rat model of depression. Ss were adult...