Intranasal neuropeptide Y is most effective in some aspects of acute stress compared to melatonin, oxytocin and orexin

Eugene Zubkov; Olga Abramova; Yana Zorkina; Aleksandra Ochneva; Valeria Ushakova; Anna Morozova; Olga Gurina; Alexander Majouga; Vladimir Chekhonin

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1033186

Intranasal neuropeptide Y is most effective in some aspects of acute stress compared to melatonin, oxytocin and orexin

Front Pharmacol. 2022 Dec 2:13:1033186. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1033186. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Eugene Zubkov¹, Olga Abramova^{1

2}, Yana Zorkina^{1

2}, Aleksandra Ochneva^{1

2}, Valeria Ushakova^{1

2

3}, Anna Morozova^{1

2}, Olga Gurina¹, Alexander Majouga⁴, Vladimir Chekhonin^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Basic and Applied Neurobiology, V. P. Serbsky National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow, Russia.
² Mental Health Clinic No. 1 Named After N A Alexeev, Moscow, Russia.
³ Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
⁴ Drug Delivery Systems Laboratory, D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow, Russia.
⁵ Department of Medical Nanobiotechnology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

Objectives: In the current study, we compared the effects of a single intranasal administration of clomipramine with effects of four neuropeptides, melatonin, oxytocin, orexin, and neuropeptide Y, to compare them in an acute stress model. Methods: The anti-stress effect was evaluated in the sucrose preference and forced swimming tests. Serum corticosterone level in rats was measured to evaluate the stress response. Results: Neuropeptide Y reduced immobilization time in the Porsolt test and decreased corticosterone levels, but increased the anhedonia. Orexin had no positive effect on animal behavior, but decreased corticosterone levels. Oxytocin decreased immobilization time, maintained anhedonia at the level of control, but did not affect corticosterone levels. Melatonin demonstrated no positive effects in any of the tests. Conclusion: The intranasal administered neuropeptide Y could be a promising compound for the treatment of stress disorders.

Keywords: antidepressants; melatonin; neuropeptide Y; orexin; oxytocin; rats; stress.