Lipopolysaccharide differentially alters systemic and brain glucocorticoid levels in neonatal and adult mice.

ABSTRACT: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are secreted by the adrenal glands and increase in response to stressors (e.g., infection). The brain regulates local GC levels via GC synthesis, regeneration and/or metabolism. Little is known about local GC regulation within discrete brain regions at baseline or in response to stress. We treated male and female C57BL/6J mice at postnatal day 5 (PND5) or PND90 with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 μg/kg bw i.p.) or vehicle and collected blood and brain after 4 h. We microdissected the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdala. We measured seven steroids, including corticosterone, via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and measured transcripts for key steroidogenic enzymes (Cyp11b1, Hsd11b1, Hsd11b2) via qPCR. At both ages, LPS increased GC leve

SUBMITTER: Hamden JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11791005 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature