The Effects of Chronic Administration of Hydrogen Sulfide on Anxiety and Depression-like Behaviors in Streptozotocin Rat Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients suffer from anxiety and depression. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) can remit the depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors induced by diabetes mellitus. We aimed to investigate the effects of chronic administration of hydrogen sulfide on depressive and anxiety-like behaviors in the Streptozotocin (STZ) rat model of AD.

Animals were divided into: Control, NaHS, and Alzheimer’s rats group include (STZ, STZ + Saline and STZ + NaHS groups) which were the Alzheimer’s rats and received Saline and NaHS (5.6 mg/kg per d) for 21 days. For induction of AD, STZ (3 mg/kg, 10 μl/injection site) was administered into the lateral ventricles. The behavioral consequences were assessed using plus maze, forced swim and sucrose preference tests.

Our results showed that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of STZ decreased the percentage of open arm time and entries, indicating anxiety-like effects. It also increased the duration of immobility time and decreased the percentage of sucrose preference indicating depression-like effects. Sodium hydrosulfide administration in STZ-treated rats increased the percentage of open arm time and entries, indicating anxiolytic-like effects. It also decreased the duration of immobility time and increased the percentage of sucrose preference, indicating antidepressant-like effects.

STZ administration can induce depression- and anxiety-like symptoms in rats, and Sodium hydrosulfide treatment, decreased the depression- and anxiety-like symptoms in STZ rat Model of AD, suggests that Sodium hydrosulfide can be useful in the treatment of affective disorders in AD patients.