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The progesterone metabolite, allopregnanolone (AlloP), is a GABAA receptor modulating steroid and is known to have orexigenic and pro-obesity effects. The neurobiological mechanisms underpinning these effects are most likely due to enhanced GABAergic signaling in the lateral arcuate nucleus (ARC) and medial paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Inspired by the finding that GABAergic signaling is also important for the orexigenic effects of the circulating hormone, ghrelin, we sought to determine the extent to which AlloP (one of the most potent endogenous GABAA-receptor modulators) operates alongside ghrelin to enhance food intake. Male rats with ad libitum access to standard chow were injected intravenously with AlloP and/or ghrelin, alone or in combination. The intake of the standard chow was greater after AlloP 1 mg/kg together with ghrelin 30 μg/kg than with 30 μg/kg ghrelin alone. Food intake was also increased for the combined treatment of AlloP 0.5 mg/kg + ghrelin 10 μg/kg, AlloP 1 mg/kg + ghrelin 10 μg/kg, and AlloP 0.5 mg/kg + ghrelin 30 μg/kg. There was no significant difference in food intake between the two ghrelin doses or between the two doses of AlloP and the vehicle. In electrophysiological studies, physiologically relevant concentrations of AlloP prolonged the current decay time of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic current of dissociated cells of the ARC and PVN. We conclude that AlloP enhances the hyperphagic effect of ghrelin, findings of potential relevance for the hyperphagia associated with the luteal phase of the reproductive cycle.

Ingestion of energy rich high fat diets is one of the determining factors associated with the obesity epidemic. Therefore, much can be learned from studies of obesity-related substances given to animals fed a high fat diet.The progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone is a potent positive modulator of the gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)A-receptor, and both allopregnanolone and GABA have been implicated in evoking hyperphagia. In this study, food intake and body weight gain were investigated during repeated allopregnanolone exposure. Male Wistar rats were studied when fed chow ad libitum, with chow access for 4h per day or with 45% high fat pellets for 4 h per day. Rats on the high fat diet were separated into obesity prone and obesity resistant individuals.Subcutaneous injections of allopregnanolone were given once daily overfive consecutive days. Repeated exposure to allopregnanolone lead to increased weight gain, significantly so in schedule fed rats on a high fat diet. The increased weight gain was correlated to an increased energy intake. Both obesity resistant and obesityprone rats responded to allopregnanolone with increased weight gain. Obesity resistant rats treated with allopregnanolone increased their energy intake and ate as much as vehicle treated obesity prone rats. Their weight gain was also increased to the level of obesity prone rats injected with just the vehicle carrier oil. Thus, it appears that allopregnanolone may be one of the endogenous factors involved in weight gain, especiallywhen the diet is rich in fat.

Aim: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic transmission from the hypothalamus is essential for normal feeding regulation, and hyperphagia can be induced by local application of GABA(A)-receptor agonists to different feeding-associated brain areas. The food intake in rats varies diurnally and that may influence the effect of GABA(A)-receptor active compounds. The progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone is a highly potent endogenous positive modulator of the GABA(A) receptor. Therefore, it is easy to envisage that allopregnanolone would have a hyperphagic effect, but earlier reports in rat have given ambiguous results. However, a contributing factor for the discrepancy may be the time point of the diurnal cycle in which the experiments were performed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of allopregnanolone on intake of standard chow in male Wistar rats at different time points of the day.

Methods: Chow intake was measured after acute administration of allopregnanolone, and feeding behaviour was analysed to detect meal patterns.

Results: We found that allopregnanolone increased chow intake by up to four times in the dark part of the 24-h cycle. The rats ate significantly more, and the effect of allopregnanolone was more prominent in the active (dark) compared with the inactive (light) period. Allopregnanolone also reduced feeding latency and prolonged the meal duration compared with vehicle.

Conclusion: Allopregnanolone seems to act at several levels of feeding regulation, that is, to initiate feeding and to prolong the duration of a meal, thereby increasing the meal size, especially in the dark period of the 24-h cycle.

Background/Aims: Allopregnanolone or 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one (AlloP) is normally sedative and anxiolytic, but can under provoking circumstances paradoxically induce aggressive behavior. Therefore, it is of particular interest to determine if there is a relationship between an anxiolytic effect and aggressive behavior following AlloP administration.

Method: Male Wistar rats were housed in triads comprising of 1 young rat (35 days) and 2 older rats (55 days), with the intent of producing a social hierarchy. The triads were sampled for total serum testosterone and submitted to a social challenge in the form of a food competition test (FCT), where the rats competed for access to drinking sweetened milk. At baseline, the younger rats were identified as subordinates. To test for the behavioral effect of AlloP, the subordinate rats were given intravenous AlloP injections of 0.5 and 1 mg/kg. To assess the optimal AlloP effect, 6 intervals (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 min) between injection and the FCT were used. In separate studies, AlloP was also given by subcutaneous and intraperitoneal administration at 10 and 17 mg/kg.

Results: AlloP (1 mg/kg, i.v.) increased drinking time and aggressive behavior in subordinate rats, with a positive correlation between these behaviors. The subcutaneous injection (17 mg/kg) also increased drinking time in subordinate animals. Serum testosterone concentration was higher in dominant compared to subordinate rats, and correlated with drinking time and weight.

Conclusions: AlloP increased drinking time and aggressive behavior, and the correlation indicates a relationship between an anxiolytic effect and aggressive behavior. Copyright (c) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel

Background Animal models can be used to mimic human conditions of psychopathology, and also as pre-clinical models to evaluate candidate drugs. With hormonal treatment it is possible to produce behavior in the rat which corresponds to the mental symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMS affects 25-30 % of all women in fertile age and 3-8% are diagnosed with the more severe condition PMDD. The cardinal mental symptoms are; irritability, mood-swings, depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, difficulties with concentration and memory and learning difficulties. The symptoms of PMS/PMDD occur in the luteal phase in conjunction with increasing concentrations of progesterone (P4) and P4-metabolites. In anovulatory cycles the symptoms are absent. The hormones which produce the monthly reoccurring negative symptoms on mood are foremost the neuroactive metabolites; allopregnanolone (ALLO) and tetrahydro-deoxycorticosterone (THDOC). ALLO is produced by the corpus luteum, but can also be synthesized in the brain, both ALLO and THDOC can also be released from the adrenal cortex during stress. These steroids are active on the inhibitory GABA neurotransmitter system through the GABA_A receptor, and the effects are similar to that of alcohol and benzodiazepines. These steroids have strong sedative and hypnotic effects. A paradox is that some individuals seem to react with negative mood on sex steroids while all fertile women have the cyclical steroid changes during the menstrual cycle. Some individuals are more sensitive to neuroactive steroids with influences of personality, heritability and stress factors.

Aims The thesis aims were to develop pre-clinical animal models of PMS/PMDD and to investigate induction of ALLO tolerance, individual sensitivity to neurosteroids and the interactions between chronic social stress and neurosteroids.

Methods In these studies male and female Wistar rats were used to test steroid hormone effects on learning and memory and behaviors analogous to negative mood symptoms. This was accomplished through hormonal treatment and a subsequent withdrawal period from P4 (P4) + estradiol (E2) (PEWD), or ALLO. To assess tolerance, memory and learning in the Morris water maze (MWM) was studied. Anxiety-like behaviors were tested with the elevated plus maze (EPM), open field test (OFT), and the intruder test (IT). The EPM or OFT was used to classify the rats as high or low responders on risk-taking and explorative behavior (HR/LR). For social ranking order assessment the tube test (TT) and food competition test (FCT) were used. Chronic social stress was accomplished through co-habituation with two older rats (chronic subordination stress). In female rats the estrous cycle followed using staining of vaginal smears. Concentration of corticosterone (CORT) was measured by radio-immuno-assay (RIA).

Results In the MWM ALLO pre-treatment produced tolerance to the acute negative ALLO effects. Both male and female rats showed behavioral correlations between the EPM and OFT tests, and correlations were also seen in CORT levels. Individuals with the stable trait of high risk-taking and explorative behavior (HR) were more sensitive to PEWD induction of anxiety-like behavior. These animals also showed decreased CORT levels during withdrawal. Chronic subordination stress enhanced the response to PEWD on measures of locomotor activity and social anxiety-like behavior.

Conclusions It is possible to induce tolerance to the negative ALLO effects on learning and memory. The animal models of anxiety-like behavior show an individual PEWD response profile where HR rats are more sensitive. Exposure to chronic social stress enhanced the PEWD response. Hence there are both inherent and environmental factors behind the behavioral response to steroid hormones in rats.

Withdrawal from progesterone and estradiol has been used as an animal model of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). In the clinical population individual sensitivity to sex steroid hormones, personality and heredity influence PMS/PMDD. Understanding the phenotypic risk factors of PMS/PMDD and drug development requires an animal model which incorporates individual steroid sensitivity. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the individual trait of risk-taking and exploration influence the severity of PEWD in female rats. Thirty-two female Wistar rats in their diestrus phase were tested in the open field (OF) and divided into high responders (HR) and low responders (LR). Injections were given i.p. twice daily for 6 days, either 5 mg/kg progesterone combined with 10 microg/kg 17beta-estradiol, or vehicle (sesame oil). After a 24-hour withdrawal the animals were tested in the elevated plus maze (EPM). Blood samples for CORT analysis were collected after both behavioral tests. The HR rats withdrawn from progesterone and estradiol, spent less time on the EPM open arms and had lower CORT levels than the HR controls. The LR group showed no differences in EPM behavior and CORT levels during PEWD. The controls showed a stable trait of risk-taking and exploration, indicated by behavioral and CORT level correlations between the OF and EPM tests. These findings show that female rats with the trait of risk-taking and explorative behavior (HR) are more affected by PEWD.

Allopregnanolone (3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnane-20-one) is a ring-A-reduced metabolite of progesterone, which is naturally produced during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and by stressful events. The steroid hormone inhibits neural functions through increased chloride ion flux through the GABAA receptor. The effects and subsequent withdrawal symptoms are similar to those caused by alcohol, benzodiazepines and barbiturates. This study examined the withdrawal effects of progesterone with regards to the influence of individual baseline exploration and risk taking. Rats were tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM) before hormonal treatment, in order to evaluate differences in risk taking and exploration of open and elevated areas. Treatment consisted of ten consecutive once a day progesterone or vehicle s.c. injections. On the last day of treatment, estradiol was injected in addition to progesterone, followed by a 24-h withdrawal before testing in the open field test (OF). Progesterone-treated rats showed a withdrawal effect of open area avoidance in the OF. The vehicle-treated control rats showed strong correlations between the EPM and OF parameters. This relationship was not found for the progesterone group at withdrawal. Rats with greater numbers of open arm entrance in the EPM pretest showed an increased sensitivity to progesterone withdrawal (PWD) compared to rats with low exploration and risk taking. The results indicate that the effects of PWD relate to individual exploration and risk taking. Furthermore, the possible analogy of PWD and PMS/PMDD in relation to individual traits is discussed.

The progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone, like benzodiazepines, reduces learning and impairs memory in rats. Both substances act as GABA agonists at the GABA-A receptor and impair the performance in the Morris water maze test. Women are during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and during hormone replacement therapy exposed to allopregnanolone or allopregnanolone-like substances for extended periods. Long-term benzodiazepine treatment can cause tolerance against benzodiazepine-induced learning impairments. In this study we evaluated whether a corresponding allopregnanolone tolerance develops in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were pretreated for 3 days with i.v. allopregnanolone injections (2 mg/kg) one or two times a day, or for 7 days with allopregnanolone injections 20 mg/kg intraperitoneally, twice a day. Thereafter the rats were tested in the Morris water maze for 5 days and compared with relevant controls. Rats pretreated with allopregnanolone twice a day had decreased escape latency, path length and thigmotaxis compared with the acute allopregnanolone group that was pretreated with vehicle. Pretreatment for 7 days resulted in learning of the platform position. However, the memory of the platform position was in these tolerant rats not as strong as in controls only given vehicle. Allopregnanolone treatment was therefore seen to induce a partial tolerance against acute allopregnanolone effects in the Morris water maze.

Exposure to stress is a risk factor for developing pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and stress enhances the anxiogenic effect of female sex steroids in animals. This study examines the interaction between chronic subordination stress and withdrawal from progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) (PEWD) in producing behaviors analogous to anxiety and irritability in rats. At the start of the experiment, male Wistar rats were housed in triads consisting of one younger rat (~35 days) and two older rats (~50 days). The housing condition was aimed at producing chronic subordination stress in the younger animals. Chronic subordination stress was assessed by the elevated plus maze (EPM) and by corticosterone (CORT) analysis. A triad of three 35-day-old rats was used as age control. Social rank within the triads was determined using a food competition test (FCT) and the tube test (TT). The younger rats (subordinate) and the dominant rats were assigned to 10 days of treatment with 5 mg/kg progesterone combined with 10 µg/kg 17β estradiol. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, the subordinate and dominant animals were tested in the open-field test (OFT) and in the intruder test (IT). The IT consists of a 10-minute exposure to 3 unfamiliar rats. Chronic subordination stress reduced EPM open-arm time and altered the CORT response. It also made the subordinate animals more vulnerable to PEWD. The effects were increased locomotion in the OFT, increased defensive burying, and increased social anxiety in the intruder test (IT). Dominant animals did not react to PEWD. Thus, chronic subordination stress augments PEWD.