Fig. 6

Chronic GC intake induces FKBP51-dependent anxiety without upregulating hippocampal GAD65. Behavioral assessment and tissue collection were performed in mice with free drinking access to tap water (CTL) or dexamethasone (DEX, 0.016 mg/mL) for 7 days. A, B The body weight and water intake of mice during DEX challenge were tracked for 7 days (n = 6 mice per group). C–E Mice were assessed using the sucrose preference test (C) and open-field test (D, E) on day 7 after DEX intake (n = 6 mice per group). F, G qRT-PCR analysis of liver and hippocampal Fkbp5 and Nr3c1 mRNA levels (n = 6 mice per group). H–K Western blot analysis of GR (H), GAD65 (J), and GAD67 (K) expressions in the HPC (n = 5 mice per group). The band intensity was quantified after it was normalized to the GAPDH level. L, M qRT-PCR analysis of hippocampal Gad2, Gad1, Tnf-α and Il-6 mRNA levels (n = 6 mice per group). Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001 for the comparison between two groups in a two-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test