Abstract
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a highly conserved pleiotropic neuropeptide, implicated in emotional stress responses and anxiety-related disorders. Here, we examined whether our recently developed small-molecule non-peptide PACAP receptor antagonists could ameliorate anxiety-like behaviors induced by acute restraint stress in mice. The antagonists PA-9 and its derivative PA-915 improved anxiety-like behaviors in mice subjected to restraint stress. An anxiolytic effect was observed with single acute dose, suggesting their fast-acting properties. PA-915 demonstrated a statistically significant anxiolytic effect whereas fluoxetine did not. These results indicate the potential of PAC1 antagonists as a novel treatment for anxiety.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 146-151 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
Volume | 631 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2022/11/26 |
Keywords
- Acute stress
- Anxiolytic effect
- PAC1 receptor
- PACAP
- Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide
- Small-molecule non-peptide antagonist
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology