Administración intranasal de oxitocina en un modelo de autismo inducido por activación inmune materna con lipopolisacárido durante la gestación

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, deficiencies in social interaction in various contexts, and restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It is believed that the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) can generate improvements in some of the features of ASD. OT has been widely studied in its relationship with complex social behaviors, in addition to its participation in pair bonding and social affiliation behaviors in some species. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the behavioral effects of intranasally administered (i.n.) OT in a model of ASD induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Female wistar rats were treated with i.p. LPS (500 μg/kg) during gestation day 16; the male pups were treated with i.n. OT (20 μg/animal) in a single dose 10 minutes before each experiment, and then passed through behavioral tests of ultrasonic vocalizations (USV's), homing, hole-board, open field and play behavior during adolescence. LPS administration during the prenatal period generated hypolocomotive behavior, and an increase in the time of grooming. In the LPS group, lower expression of the OT receptor (OTR) was observed in the prefrontal cortex. Regarding of i.n. administration of OT, there was an increase in the number of USV's and a decrease in the latency time in the nest seeking behavior test in both the control group and the LPS group. The results obtained in this study showed that the administration of LPS during the prenatal period was not able to completely alter the behavior of the animals and, in addition, there were divergences with respect to previous studies. However, the OT in an i.n. way was able to improve some social parameters.