Markers of HPA-axis activity and nucleic acid damage from oxidation after electroconvulsive stimulations in rats

Objective:Oxidative stress has been suggested to increase after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); a treatment which continues to be the most effective for severe depression. Oxidative stress could potentially be mechanistically involved in both the therapeutic effects and side-effects of ECT.Methods:We measured sensitive markers of systemic and CNS oxidative stress on DNA and RNA (urinary 8-oxodG/8-oxoGuo, cerebrospinal fluid 8-oxoGuo, and brain oxoguanine glycosylase mRNA expression) in male rats subjected to electroconvulsive stimulations (ECS); an animal model of ECT. Due to previous observations that link hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity and age to DNA/RNA damage from oxidation, groups of young and middle-aged male animals were included, and markers of HPA-axis activity were measured.Results:ECS induced weight loss, corticosterone increases (only in middle-aged animals), and decreased cerebral glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression, while largely leaving the markers of systemic and CNS DNA/RNA damage from oxidation unaltered.Conclusion:These results suggest that ECS is not associated with any lasting effects on oxidative stress on nucleic acids neither in young or middle-aged rats.