The PPARα agonist fenofibrate attenuates disruption of dopamine function in a maternal immune activation rat model of schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Prenatal maternal immune activation (MIA) is associated with a risk to develop schizophrenia and affects dopamine systems in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), key region in the neurobiology of psychoses. Considering the well-described sex differences in schizophrenia, we investigated whether sex affects MIA impact on dopamine system and on schizophrenia-related behavioral phenotype. Furthermore, considering peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) expression in the CNS as well as its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, we tested if PPARα activation by prenatal treatment with a clinically available fibrate (fenofibrate) may mitigate MIA-related effects.

Methods

We induced MIA in rat dams with polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (Poly I:C) an

SUBMITTER: De Felice M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6488881 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature