Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Levels in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Caudate Putamen, Nucleus Accumbens, and Piriform Cortex Were Upregulated by Chronic Restraint Stress
Qing Zhai,
Ariful Islam,
Bin Chen,
Hengsen Zhang,
Do Huu Chi,
Md. Al Mamun,
Yutaka Takahashi,
Noriko Sato,
Hidenori Yamasue,
Yoshiki Nakajima,
Yu Nagashima,
Fumito Sano,
Tomohito Sato,
Tomoaki Kahyo,
Mitsutoshi Setou
Affiliations
Qing Zhai
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Ariful Islam
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Bin Chen
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Hengsen Zhang
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Do Huu Chi
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Md. Al Mamun
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Yutaka Takahashi
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Noriko Sato
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Hidenori Yamasue
Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Yoshiki Nakajima
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Yu Nagashima
Institute for Medical Photonics Research, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Fumito Sano
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Tomohito Sato
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Tomoaki Kahyo
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Mitsutoshi Setou
Department of Cellular and Molecular Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Shizuoka, Japan
Endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) has been implicated in habituation to stress, and its augmentation reduces stress-induced anxiety-like behavior. Chronic restraint stress (CRS) changes the 2-AG levels in some gross brain areas, such as the forebrain. However, the detailed spatial distribution of 2-AG and its changes by CRS in stress processing-related anatomical structures such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate putamen (CP), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and piriform cortex (PIR) are still unclear. In this study, mice were restrained for 30 min in a 50 mL-centrifuge tube for eight consecutive days, followed by imaging of the coronal brain sections of control and stressed mice using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI). The results showed that from the forebrain to the cerebellum, 2-AG levels were highest in the hypothalamus and lowest in the hippocampal region. 2-AG levels were significantly (p p < 0.05) downregulated in the ACC, CP, NAc, and PIR of stressed mice compared with control mice. This study provided direct evidence of 2-AG expression and changes, suggesting that 2-AG levels are increased in the ACC CP, NAc, and PIR when individuals are under chronic stress.
