Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) triggers escape reactions in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter (dPAG), a core structure mediating panic-associated response, and decreases the release of BDNF in vitro. BDNF mediates the panicolytic effect induced by antidepressant drugs and produces these effects per se when injected into the dPAG. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors would have panicolytic properties associated with increased BDNF signaling in the dPAG. We observed that the repeated (7 days), but not acute (1 day), systemic administration of the NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine (AMG; 15 mg/kg/day) increased the latency to escape from the open arm of the elevated T-maze (ETM) and inhibited the number of jumps in hypoxia-induced escape reaction in rats, suggesting a panicolytic-like effect. Repeated, but not acute, AMG administration (15 mg/kg) also decreased nitrite levels and increased TRKB phosphorylation at residues Y706/7 in the dPAG. Notwithstanding the lack of AMG effect on total BDNF levels in this structure, the microinjection of the TRK antagonist K252a into the dPAG blocked the anti-escape effect of this drug in the ETM. Taken together our data suggest that the inhibition of NO production by AMG increases the levels of pTRKB, which is required for the panicolytic-like effect observed.