Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 222 Tian Shui South Road, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
Peptides. 2011 Sep;32(9):1948-52. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2011.08.012. Epub 2011 Aug 19.
Neuronostatin is a recently discovered endogenous bioactive peptide that is encoded by pro-mRNA of somatostatin. In the present study, we investigated the effect of neuronostatin on mood regulation in the forced swim test of mice. Our results showed intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of neuronostatin produced an increase in the immobility time, suggesting that neuronostatin induced depression-like effect. In order to rule out the possibility that neuronostatin had increased immobility time by a non-specific reduction in general activity, the effect of neuronostatin on locomotor activity was examined. Neuronostatin had no influence on locomotor activity in mice. In addition, the depression-like effect of neuronostatin was completely reversed by melanocortin 3/4 receptor antagonist SHU9119 or GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline, but not by opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. These data suggested that the depression-like effect induced by i.c.v. administered neuronostatin was dependent upon the central melanocortin system and GABAA receptor. In conclusion, the results of this study report that neuronostatin induces depression-like effect. These findings reveal that neuronostatin is a new neuropeptide with an important role in regulating depressive behavior.
神经降压素是一种新发现的内源性生物活性肽，由生长抑素前体 mRNA 编码。本研究探讨了神经降压素对小鼠强迫游泳试验中情绪调节的影响。结果显示，脑室给药神经降压素可增加不动时间，提示神经降压素有抑郁样作用。为排除神经降压素通过非特异性降低一般活动而增加不动时间的可能性，我们检测了神经降压素对运动活性的影响。神经降压素对小鼠的运动活性没有影响。此外，神经降压素的抑郁样作用可被黑素皮质素 3/4 受体拮抗剂 SHU9119 或 GABAA 受体拮抗剂印防己毒素完全逆转，但不能被阿片受体拮抗剂纳洛酮逆转。这些数据表明，脑室给予神经降压素引起的抑郁样作用依赖于中枢黑素皮质素系统和 GABAA 受体。总之，本研究结果表明，神经降压素有诱导抑郁样作用。这些发现表明神经降压素是一种新的神经肽，在调节抑郁行为中具有重要作用。
