Gender effects, psychological stress and benzodiazepine use on homocysteine plasma concentrations

• Grant number: 05/03552-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2006
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Metabolism and Bioenergetics
• Principal Investigator: Sabine Pompéia
• Grantee: Bruno Henrique Do Carmo Grego
• Host Institution: Departamento de Psicobiologia. Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Rationale: Epidemiological studies show that stress has an important impact on human health. It has been demonstrated that acute psychological stress induced by cognitive testing in healthy women led to rapid and significant elevations in plasma homocysteine concentrations that were coincident with elevations in blood pressure and heart rate. It is unknown whether these changes are similar in men and women, nor if they can be altered by the administration of anxiolytic drugs that diminish physiological and behavioral stress. Objectives: The present project proposes to study, in a population of young, healthy volunteers, if there are variations in plasma homocysteine and vitamins associated to its metabolism (folate and vitamin B6) in the different genders after a battery of psychological tests, and if administration of acute doses of benzodiazepines (one with hypnotic and one with tranquilizing clinical application) changes the pattern of results. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over design study with 24 young, healthy volunteers (12 men). All women will have stable levels of sex hormones through the use of a contraceptive patch. Subjects will received one of three treatments in a random order separated by at least 4 days: placebo, the tranquilizer lorazepam (2 mg p.o.), or the hypnotic flunitrazepam (1.2 mg p.o.); both drugs have similar affinity to central benzodiazepine receptors. Treatments will be administered following a double-placebo schedule in such as way that the beginning of the post-treatment testing session coincides with peak-plasma concentration of both drugs. Blood samples will be obtained at the end of each test session, as well on a previous day in which no testing or drug administration is involved. Levels of homocysteine, folate, vitamin B6, cortisol and sexual hormones will be determined and compared between genders and drug treatments.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

POMPEIA, SABINE; GREGO, BRUNO H. C.; PRADELLA-HALLINAN, MARCIA; HACHUL, HELENA; TUFIK, SERGIO; D'ALMEIDA, VANIA. Acute benzodiazepine administration induces changes in homocysteine metabolism in young healthy volunteers. PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY, v. 33, n. 6, p. 933-938, AUG 31 2009. (05/03552-8, 98/14303-3)