New breakthroughs could help provide treatment to individuals struggling with depression.
The research team identified a key mechanism in which the hormone ghrelin (which has anti-depressant properties) works in the brain, a UT Southwestern Medical Center news release reported. At the same time the researchers also identified a neuroprotective drug named P7C3, which could provide depression relief.
"By investigating the way the so-called 'hunger hormone' ghrelin works to limit the extent of depression following long-term exposure to stress, we discovered what could become a brand new class of anti-depressant drugs," Doctor Jeffrey Zigman, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at UT Southwestern, and co-senior author of the study, said in the news release.
Ghrelin is produced in the stomach and intestines, and has been known to stimulate appetite. Levels of this hormone are believed to rise as a result of "caloric restriction or prolonged psychological stress," the news release reported.
The news study found ghrelin also stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis, which is the formation of new neurons; this regenerative process is believed to be strongly linked depression.
"After identifying the mechanism of ghrelin's anti-depressant actions, we investigated whether increasing this ghrelin effect by directly enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis with the recently reported P7C3 class of neuroprotective compounds would result in even greater anti-depressant behavioral effects," Dr. Zigman said.
In the past P7C3 has been shown to have applications in treating "Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and traumatic brain injury," the news release reported. The researchers hope the drug could also be used effectively in depression treatment.
"We found that P7C3 exerted a potent anti-depressant effect via its neurogenesis-promoting properties," Doctor Andrew Pieper, a former UT Southwestern faculty member and co-senior author of the current studym said in the news release. "Also exciting, a highly active P7C3 analog was able to quickly enhance neurogenesis to a much greater level than a wide spectrum of currently marketed anti-depressant drugs."
