Resveratrol attenuates early life stress induced depression in rats: Behavioural and neurochemical evidence

Maternal deprivation (MD), a severe naturalistic type of stress in the early postnatal days, is a well-established model of early life stress (ELS) that models juvenile adversity and may result in significant depressive disease in adults. In order to analyze the behavioural, brain monoamine level and HPA axis dysregulations caused by ELS and to determine whether Resveratrol (Res) could counteract these effects, Wistar rat pups were subjected to the MD paradigm, which simulated the consequences of depression. The pups on their postnatal day 1–10 were divided in 5 groups (n = 8); nondeprived (ND), maternally deprived (DC), standard fluoxetine (FLX) (5 mg/kg i.p), Res (20, 40 mg/kg i.p). Excluding the ND group, other pups were separated from dam for 3hr/day from day 1 to 10th day. Treatment was initiated from 50th day and was given for 12 days. The behaviour parameters light/dark test, sucrose preference, and resident intruder test were employed. Serum cortisol levels, brain antioxidant activity, monoamine levels and neuronal morphology in the hippocampus were assessed. The MD rats showed altered behaviour, including more light–dark transitions, less desire for sucrose, and lower attack latencies. MD influenced the release of serum cortisol and interfered with monoamine, antioxidant levels as well as reduced Nissl bodies in the hippocampus. Treatment with Res led to improved behavioural functions also restored monoamine levels, reduced cortisol release, oxidative stress and prevented histopathological alterations in the rat hippocampus. Res showed neuroprotective effects by improving the brain antioxidants and monoamine levels and HPA axis dysregulation and thus improves MD induced depression like behaviour in Wistar rats.