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Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Biskup, CS; Sánchez, CL; Arrant, A; Van Swearingen, AED; Kuhn, C; Zepf, FD
Published in: PLoS One
2012

Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) is a method of lowering brain serotonin (5-HT). Administration of large neutral amino acids (LNAA) limits the transport of endogenous tryptophan (TRP) across the blood brain barrier by competition with other LNAAs and subsequently decreases serotonergic neurotransmission. A recent discussion on the specificity and efficacy of the ATD paradigm for inhibition of central nervous 5-HT has arisen. Moreover, side effects such as vomiting and nausea after intake of amino acids (AA) still limit its use. ATD Moja-De is a revised mixture of AAs which is less nauseating than conventional protocols. It has been used in preliminary clinical studies but its effects on central 5-HT mechanisms and other neurotransmitter systems have not been validated in an animal model. We tested ATD Moja-De (TRP-) in two strains of mice: C57BL/6J, and BALB/cJ, which are reported to have impaired 5-HT synthesis and a more anxious phenotype relative to other strains of mice. ATD Moja-De lowered brain TRP, significantly decreased 5-HT synthesis as indexed by 5-HTP levels after decarboxlyase inhibition, and lowered 5-HT and 5-HIAA in both strains of mice, however more so in C57BL/6J than in BALB/cJ. Dopamine and its metabolites as well as norepinephrine were not affected. A balanced (TRP+) control mixture did not raise 5-HT or 5-HIAA. The present findings suggest that ATD Moja-De effectively and specifically suppresses central serotonergic function. These results also demonstrate a strain-specific effect of ATD Moja-De on anxiety-like behavior.

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Published In

PLoS One

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

2012

Volume

7

Issue

5

Start / End Page

e35916

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tryptophan
  • Serotonin
  • Norepinephrine
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice
  • Male
  • General Science & Technology
  • Dopamine
  • Brain
 

Citation

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Biskup, C. S., Sánchez, C. L., Arrant, A., Van Swearingen, A. E. D., Kuhn, C., & Zepf, F. D. (2012). Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One, 7(5), e35916. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035916
Biskup, Caroline Sarah, Cristina L. Sánchez, Andrew Arrant, Amanda E. D. Van Swearingen, Cynthia Kuhn, and Florian Daniel Zepf. “Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice.PLoS One 7, no. 5 (2012): e35916. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035916.
Biskup CS, Sánchez CL, Arrant A, Van Swearingen AED, Kuhn C, Zepf FD. Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e35916.
Biskup, Caroline Sarah, et al. “Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice.PLoS One, vol. 7, no. 5, 2012, p. e35916. Pubmed, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035916.
Biskup CS, Sánchez CL, Arrant A, Van Swearingen AED, Kuhn C, Zepf FD. Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e35916.

Published In

PLoS One

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

2012

Volume

7

Issue

5

Start / End Page

e35916

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tryptophan
  • Serotonin
  • Norepinephrine
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice
  • Male
  • General Science & Technology
  • Dopamine
  • Brain