Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil; Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil.
Neurosci Lett. 2021 Mar 16;747:135591. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135591. Epub 2020 Dec 24.
Estradiol (17β-estradiol, E) is a crucial estrogen hormone that regulates sexual, cognitive, social and affective behaviors in various species. However, complex central nervous system (CNS) effects of E, including its activity in males, remain poorly understood. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is rapidly becoming a powerful novel model system in translational neuroscience research. Here, we evaluate the effects of a single 24-h exposure to 20 μg/L of E on behavioral and endocrine (cortisol) responses in adult male zebrafish. Overall, E exerted pro-social effect in the social preference test, reduced whole-body cortisol levels, elevated exploration in the novel tank test and increased the shoal size in the shoaling test, indicative of an anxiolytic-like profile of this hormone in male zebrafish. Supporting mounting human and rodent evidence on the role of E in behavioral regulation, the observed pro-social and anxiolytic-like effects of E in male zebrafish reinforce the use of this aquatic organism in studying steroid-mediated CNS mechanisms of complex affective and social behaviors.
雌二醇（17β-雌二醇，E）是一种重要的雌激素，它调节着各种物种的性、认知、社会和情感行为。然而，E 在中枢神经系统（CNS）中的复杂作用，包括其在雄性动物中的活性，仍知之甚少。斑马鱼（Danio rerio）在转化神经科学研究中迅速成为一种强大的新型模式生物系统。在这里，我们评估了 24 小时暴露于 20μg/L E 对成年雄性斑马鱼行为和内分泌（皮质醇）反应的影响。总的来说，E 在社会偏好测试中表现出亲社会效应，降低了全身皮质醇水平，在新鱼缸测试中增加了探索行为，在群居测试中增加了群体大小，表明这种激素在雄性斑马鱼中具有抗焦虑样特征。支持人类和啮齿动物关于 E 在行为调节中的作用的证据，E 在雄性斑马鱼中表现出的亲社会和抗焦虑样作用，加强了利用这种水生生物来研究类固醇介导的复杂情感和社会行为的中枢神经系统机制。
