Abstract
RATIONALE: Depression is often associated with memory impairment, a clinical feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but no effective treatment is available. 7-Chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) has been studied in experimental models of diseases that affect the central nervous system. OBJECTIVES: The pharmacological activity of 4-PSQ in depressive-like behavior associated with memory impairment induced by acute restraint stress (ARS) in male Swiss mice was evaluated. METHODS: ARS is an unavoidable stress model that was applied for a period of 240 min. Ten minutes after ARS, animals were intragastrically treated with canola oil (10 ml/kg) or 4-PSQ (10 mg/kg) or positive controls (paroxetine or donepezil) (10 mg/kg). Then, after 30 min, mice were submitted to behavioral tests. Corticosterone levels were evaluated in plasma and oxidative stress parameters; monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and MAO -B isoform activity; mRNA expression levels of kappa nuclear factor B (NF-κB); interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, and IL-33; phosphatidylinositol-se-kinase (PI3K); protein kinase B (AKT2), as well as acetylcholinesterase activity were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. RESULTS: 4-PSQ attenuated the depressive-like behavior, self-care, and memory impairment caused by ARS. Based on the evidence, we believe that effects of 4-PSQ may be associated, at least in part, with the attenuation of HPA axis activation, attenuation of alterations in the monoaminergic system, modulation of oxidative stress, reestablishment of AChE activity, modulation of the PI3K/AKT2 pathway, and reduction of neuroinflammation. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that 4-PSQ exhibited an antidepressant-like effect and attenuated the memory impairment induced by ARS, and it is a promising molecule to treat these comorbidities.