The potential role of very small embryonic-like stem cells in the neuroinflammation induced by social isolation stress: Introduction of a new paradigm

Lack of social contacts could induce psychiatric features and lead to various behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities in rodents. Social isolation stress (SIS) is a valid paradigm of depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in animals. It has demonstrated that psychiatric disorder could affect the peripheral blood population of very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs). The aim of the current study is to evaluate the role of VSELs in behavioral impairments induced by SIS through neuroinflammation in mice. Behavioral experiments were evaluated by using forced swimming WA (FST), open field WA (OFT), and splash WA in male NMRI mice. In addition, plasma and bone marrow samples, as well as hippocampus, were collected to evaluate the population of VSELs, nitrite level, and inflammatory cytokines by using flow cytometry and ELISA. Behavioral tasks showed that SIS could induce depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Data obtained from flow cytometry showed that VSELs significantly increased in socially isolated animals in bone marrow, peripheral blood, and hippocampus. Also, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 significantly increased in hippocampal and plasma samples in socially isolated animals. Correlation analysis indicated that mice with higher VSELs counts have better results in behavioral tasks, and lower pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as nitrite level in mice. In conclusion, VSELs could be used as a biological marker to enhance diagnostic accuracy as well as predicting the prognosis. Also, increment in the VSELs counts might decrease the neuro-inflammation and subsequently improve the behavioral impairments induced by SIS.