Table 4. Effects of dexamethasone treatment on signal transduction molecules, glutamate receptors and transporters, and astrocyte markers in the amygdala according to dexamethasone treatment.
| Signal transduction molecules, astrocyte markers, and glutamate receptors and transporters | No dexamethasone, n=11, mean (s.e.) | Dexamethasone, n=20, mean (s.e.) | P-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enzymes acting directly upon GluA1-Ser831 site | |||
| PP1ca | 94.6 (2.8) | 94.8 (2.0) | 0.82 |
| PKC activity | 122.6 (5.5) | 119.9 (5.4) | 0.76 |
| P-CaMKII | 127.6 (9.9) | 105.2 (3.7) | 0.02b |
| Total CaMKII | 93.4 (2.4) | 100.2 (2.4) | 0.08a |
| Enzymes not acting upon GluA1-Ser831 site | |||
| PKA activity | 120.9 (5.8) | 125.1 (6.5) | 0.67 |
| P-ERK1 | 98.6 (5.1) | 91.6 (3.9) | 0.29 |
| P-ERK2 | 96.6 (2.4) | 98.8 (3.4) | 0.87 |
| P-JNK1 | 99.8 (3.6) | 100.4 (4.2) | 0.93 |
| P-JNK2 | 100.68 (4.4) | 99.5 (95.5) | 0.89 |
| P-AKT | 95.6 (2.4) | 95.5 (2.0) | 0.75 |
| P-p38 | 102.8 (2.8) | 105.3 (2.3) | 0.52 |
| GLU receptors sub unities and transporters, and astrocyte markersc | |||
| GluA1 | 96.8 (3.8) | 97.8 (2.8) | 0.83 |
| GFAP | 110.7 (4.0) | 106.8 (1.9) | 0.35 |
| EAAT1 | 90.2 (4.3) | 95.5 (3.5) | 0.36 |
| EAAT2 | 98.1 (6.4) | 94.1 (5.4) | 0.65 |
Abbreviations: AMY, amygdala; DEXA, dexamethasone
a
There was a trend (P=0.08) for a presence of higher levels of total CaMKII in the AMY of DEXA in comparison to non-DEXA patients;
b
Concerning the enzymes affecting the P-GluA1-Ser831 levels, DEXA treatment decrease 22.4% of P-CaMKII levels in the AMY, without affecting the PKC activity, P-CaMKII or PP1ca levels;
c
GluA1=Levels of GluA1 subunit of glutamate AMPA receptor; GFAP=Levels of Glial Fibrilary Acidic Protein; EAAT1 and EAAT2=Levels of glial excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) type 1 and 2.