Prenatal stress induced depressive‐like behavior and region dependently high CRP level in offspring rats

INTRODUCTION: To explore the changes in C‐reactive protein (CRP) level in different regions of one old offspring rats exposed to prenatal stress (PS). METHODS: The rat model was constructed with prenatal restraint stress on pregnant dams on days 14–20 of gestation. Offspring rats were randomly divided into PS susceptibility (PS‐S) group and control (CON) group. Behavioral experiments including sucrose preference test (SPT), open‐field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) were used to measure depressive‐like behaviors. Immunohistochemistry, qRT‐PCR, and Western blotting were applied to detect the changes in CRP level. RESULTS: The results showed that PS could cause depressive‐like behaviors in all SPT, OFT, and FST. Concomitantly, CRP mRNA and protein expression significantly increased in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus in the PS‐S group when compared that in the CON group, while no significantly changes in liver, heart, olfactory bulb, striatum, and cerebellum in the PS‐S group when compared that in the CON group. CONCLUSION: Increasing of CRP expression in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus may play a critical role in the mechanism under depressive‐like behavior in offspring rats exposed to PS.