Emotional disorders induced by Hemopressin and RVD-hemopressin(α) administration in rats

Background the endocannabinoid (ecb) system plays an important role in regulating emotional disorders,and is involved,directly or indirectly,in psychiatric diseases,such as anxiety and depression. hemopressin,a hemoglobin α chain-derived peptide,and rvd-hemopressin(α),a n-terminally extended form of hemopressin,act as antagonist/inverse agonist and negative allosteric modulator of the cannabinoid 1 (cb1) receptor,respectively. methods considering the possible involvement of these peptides on emotional behaviour,the aim of our study was to investigate the behavioural effects of a single intraperitoneal (ip) injection of hemopressin (0.05 mg/kg) and rvd-hemopressin(α) (0.05 mg/kg),using a series of validated behavioural tests (locomotor activity/open field test,light-dark exploration test,forced swim test) in rats. prefrontal cortex levels of norepinephrine (ne),dopamine (da) and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine,5-ht) and the gene expression of monoamine oxidase (mao-b) and catechol-o-methyltransferase (comt) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (hplc) analysis and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr),respectively. results hemopressin administration induced anxiogenic and depressive behaviour,decreased monoamine steady state levels in prefrontal cortex,and increased the gene expression of the enzymes involved in their catabolism. by contrast,rvd- hemopressin(α) induced anxiolytic and antidepressive effects,increased monoamines and decreased the enzymes in prefrontal cortex. conclusion in conclusion,in the present study we demonstrated behavioral effects induced by peripheral hemopressin and rvd-hemopressin(α) injections,that could involve modulatory effects on monoaminergic signaling,in the prefrontal cortex. © 2017 institute of pharmacology,polish academy of sciences