Effect of prenatal fluoxetine exposure on the density of 5-HT transporters in select brain regions within the telencephalon of prepubescent and adult male rat offspring
| Telencephalon | Prepubescent progeny | Adult progeny | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saline (N) | Fluoxetine (N) | Saline (N) | Fluoxetine (N) | |
| Cortex | ||||
| Cingulate cortex | 24 ± 2 (5) | 25 ± 3 (5) | 32 ± 11-b (5) | 34 ± 31-b (6) |
| Entorhinal cortex | 24 ± 4 (5) | 20 ± 1 (4) | 30 ± 1 (5) | 30 ± 5 (6) |
| Frontal cortex | 14 ± 2 (5) | 14 ± 2 (5) | 15 ± 1 (5) | 13 ± 1 (6) |
| Occipital cortex | 7 ± 1 (5) | 6 ± 1 (4) | 6 ± 1 (5) | 8 ± 1 (6) |
| Parietal cortex | 13 ± 2 (4) | 13 ± 1 (5) | 10 ± 1 (5) | 9 ± 1 (5) |
| Retrosplenial granular cortex | 12 ± 1 (4) | 12 ± 1 (5) | 10 ± 1 (4) | 14 ± 1 (5) |
| Temporal cortex | 17 ± 4 (5) | 14 ± 1 (4) | 6 ± 11-b (5) | 8 ± 1 (6) |
| Hippocampus | ||||
| CA1 area of Ammon’s horn | 9 ± 1 (5) | 12 ± 1 (5) | 16 ± 21-b (5) | 17 ± 2 (5) |
| CA2 area of Ammon’s horn | 19 ± 1 (5) | 28 ± 11-a (4) | 29 ± 3 (4) | 31 ± 4 (5) |
| CA3 area of Ammon’s horn | 21 ± 3 (4) | 29 ± 11-a (5) | 37 ± 21-b (4) | 37 ± 21-b (6) |
| Dentate gyrus | 7 ± 1 (4) | 10 ± 1 (5) | 10 ± 1 (5) | 11 ± 2 (6) |
| Septum | ||||
| Lateral septum, dorsal | 20 ± 2 (5) | 25 ± 1 (4) | 21 ± 3 (4) | 25 ± 3 (6) |
| Lateral septum, intermediate | 60 ± 5 (5) | 61 ± 3 (4) | 57 ± 4 (5) | 63 ± 3 (5) |
| Amygdala | ||||
| Basolateral amygdala | 71 ± 5 (4) | 94 ± 11-a (4) | 112 ± 71-b (4) | 113 ± 5 (5) |
| Central amygdala | 13 ± 2 (5) | 15 ± 2 (5) | 17 ± 1 (5) | 17 ± 2 (6) |
| Medial amygdala | 32 ± 1 (4) | 46 ± 31-a (4) | 53 ± 11-b (5) | 50 ± 3 (6) |
| Basal Ganglia | ||||
| Caudate putamen | 38 ± 3 (5) | 37 ± 2 (5) | 33 ± 3 (5) | 28 ± 2 (6) |
| Globus pallidus | 86 ± 5 (3) | 59 ± 6 (3) | 69 ± 2 (3) | 56 ± 9 (5) |
| Ventral pallidum | 63 ± 7 (4) | 55 ± 4 (3) | 70 ± 2 (4) | 61 ± 6 (5) |
Data are expressed as fmol of sites/mg of tissue equivalent and represent the mean ± S.E.M. from 3–6 rats per group with each rat within a group being obtained from a different litter. The number of rats per group is shown in parentheses. Prenatal exposure to fluoxetine (10 mg/kg/2 ml s.c. to dams from GD 13-20) significantly increased the density of 5-HT transporters in the CA2 (+47%) and CA3 (+38%) areas of the hippocampus, as well as the basolateral (+32%) and medial (+44%) amygdaloid nuclei in prepubescent progeny. By PD 70, the density of 5-HT transporters was similar between saline- and fluoxetine-exposed offspring across all brain regions examined. 5-HT transporters were labeled with 0.7 nM [3H]citalopram. Nonspecific binding was determined in the presence of 1 μM paroxetine. Quantification of autoradiograms was performed using computerized digital image analysis as described in Materials and Methods. Data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA followed by a Newman-Keuls post hoc test.