Table 4 Effects of dexamethasone treatment on signal transduction molecules, glutamate receptors and transporters, and astrocyte markers in the amygdala according to dexamethasone treatment

From: A single high dose of dexamethasone affects the phosphorylation state of glutamate AMPA receptors in the human limbic system

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)

0.02 b

 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 markers c

 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

  1. Abbreviations: AMY, amygdala; DEXA, dexamethasone
  2. aThere 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;
  3. bConcerning 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;
  4. cGluA1=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.
Back to article page