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Hormonal changes due to menopause can cause various health problems including weight gain and depressive symptoms. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that oestrogen receptors (ERs) play a major role in postmenopausal obesity and depression. However, little is known regarding the ER subtype-specific effects on obesity and depressive symptoms. To delineate potential effects of ERβ activation in postmenopausal women, we investigated the effects of a novel oestrogen receptor β-selective ligand (C-1) in ovariectomized mice. Uterine weight, depressive behaviour, and weight gain were examined in sham-operated control mice and ovariectomized mice administered placebo, C-1, or 17β-oestradiol (E2). Administration of C-1 or E2 reduced body weight gain and depressive-like behaviour in ovariectomized mice, as assessed by the forced swim test. In addition, administration of E2 to ovariectomized mice increased uterine weight, but administration of C-1 did not result in a significant increase in uterine weight. These results suggest that the selective activation of ERβ in ovariectomized mice may have protective effects against obesity and depressive-like behaviour without causing an increase in uterine weight. The present findings raise the possibility of the application of ERβ-ligands such as C-1 as a novel treatment for obesity and depression in postmenopausal women.

The responses of olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rats to antidepressant treatment are similar to those of depressed patients since chronic administration of an antidepressant reverses OBX-induced behavioral and physiological changes. Previously, using several animal models, it was demonstrated that single treatment with delta-opioid receptor agonists produced an antidepressant-like effect. This study examined the antidepressant effects resulting from subchronic exposure for 8 days to the delta-opioid receptor agonist SNC80 in an OBX rat model of depression. The olfactory bulbs were removed by suction. The emotionality of rats was measured by scoring their responses to given stimuli, i.e., attack, startle, struggle, and fight responses. The OBX rats chronically treated with vehicle for 7 days at 14 days following surgery showed a significant increase in emotionality score and a decrease in the time spent and entries in the open arm of a plus-maze. In the case of OBX rats, these changes were dose- and time-dependently reversed by chronic SNC80 treatment (1-10 mg/kg, s.c.) for 7 days, as same as desipramine (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Moreover, the concentration of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-HIAA in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala were decreased in OBX rats, and these changes were also normalized by SNC80 treatment, rather than desipramine treatment. In addition, SNC80 also significantly reversed the loss of TH-positive cells produced by OBX in the dorsal raphe. In conclusion, we demonstrated that subchronic SNC80 treatment could completely reverse OBX-induced behavioral abnormalities and defects in serotonergic function.

Abstract: Growing evidence indicates that the glutamatergic neurotransmitter system is central to the neurobiology and treatment of depression. Riluzole, a drug currently used to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), directly affects the glutamatergic system. In this study, we investigated the effects of riluzole in olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) rats, an animal model of depression. The olfactory bulbs in rats were removed by suction. The emotionality of rats was measured by scoring their responses to given stimuli, i.e., attack, startle, struggle, and fight responses. The OBX rats chronically treated with vehicle for 7 days at 14 days following surgery showed significant increases in emotionality responses. Single (1st day administration) and subchronic (7th day administration) riluzole treatment (1–10mg/kg, po) significantly and dose-dependently reduced hyperemotional responses in OBX rats. Both single and subchronic riluzole treatment (10mg/kg, po) had no significant effects on the emotional responses in sham operated rats. In addition, we demonstrated that single riluzole treatment (10mg/kg, po) significantly decreased extracellular glutamate levels in medial prefrontal cortex of OBX rats by in vivo microdialysis. We provide the first experimental evidence that riluzole rapidly attenuated hyperemotional responses in OBX rats, an animal model of depression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]