Effect of ketamine on the expressions of CREB and BDNF in preforntal cortex of depressed rats

Objective To study the effects of ketamine on cAMP-response element binding protein(CREB) and brain-derived neurophic factor(BDNF) in the prefrontal cortex of depressed rats.Methods Forty male two-month-old Wistar rats weighed 180-220 g were equally randomized into 4 groups.On the 1st day of experiment,the rats were forced to swim for 15 min for establishing a depression model.On the 2nd day,normal saline 1 ml(group C),ketamine 5 mg/kg(group K1),10 mg/kg(group K2) and 15 mg/kg(group K3) with the same volume of 1 ml were intraperitoneally administered,respectively.Thirty minutes after administration,a forced swimming test(FST) was performed for 5 minutes to record the immobility time of rats.Then the preforntal cortex was harvested for detecting the expressions of CREB and BDNF.Results Compared with group C,groups of K1,K2 and K3 had a shorter immobility time and higher expressions of CREB and BDNF in the prefrontal cortex of the depressed rats in a dose-dependent manner(P0.05).Conclusion The antidepressant effect of ketamine is related to the up-regulation of CREB and BDNF expressions in the prefrontal cortex of rats.