Ghrelin effects expression of several genes associated with depression-like behavior

PORETTI MB; RASK-ANDERSEN M; KUMAR P; RUBIALES DE BARIOGLIO S; FIOL DE CUNEO M; SCHIÖTH HB; CARLINI VP

PROGRESS OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. 56 p. 227 - 234

0278-5846

Ghrelin (Ghr) is an orexigenic peptide that is being investigated for its potential role in development of anxiety-like behavior and modulation of depressive-like symptoms induced by bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (OB) in ro-dents. Olfactory bulbectomy is an animal model useful to study of depression and Ghr could be an alternativetherapeutic tool in depression therapy. We studied the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) Ghr administra-tion on the expression of hypothalamic genes related to depression and mood (delta opioid receptor (DOR), muopioid receptor (MOR) and kappa opioid receptor (KOR), lutropin-choriogonadotropic hormone receptor(LHCGR), serotonin transporter (SERT), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1b), vasopressin (AVP) and corticotrophin releas-ing hormone (CRH)) in OB animals, as well as changes in plasma levels of AVP, CRH and adenocorticotropic hor-mone (ACTH). We found that acute Ghr 0.3 nmol/μl administration increases gene expression of DOR, SERT andLHCGR in OB mice and decreased expression of IL-1b, suggesting that these genes could be involved in theantidepressant-like effects of Ghr. In addition, OB animals exhibit high AVP gene expression and elevated plasmaconcentrations of AVP and ACTH and acute Ghr 0.3 nmol/μl administration reduces AVP gene expression and theconcentration of these hormones, suggesting that peptide-effects on depressive-like behavior could be mediatedat least in part via AVP. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence about genes, receptors and hormones in-volved in the antidepressant mechanism/s induced by Ghr in OB animals.© 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.