Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jun;18(6):487-92.
doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2012.00314.x.

NPY intraperitoneal injections produce antidepressant-like effects and downregulate BDNF in the rat hypothalamus

Affiliations

NPY intraperitoneal injections produce antidepressant-like effects and downregulate BDNF in the rat hypothalamus

Francesca Gelfo et al. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: Several studies have documented an involvement of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) in stress-related disorders. Stress-related disorders are also characterized by changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophins implicated in the survival and function of neurons. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate whether an NPY intraperitoneal treatment has antidepressant-like effects in rats subjected to a classical stress paradigm, the Forced Swim Test (FST), in association with changes in local brain neurotrophin production.

Methods: Rats were intraperitoneally injected with either NPY (60 μg/kg) or a vehicle for three consecutive days between two FST sessions and then tested for time spent (or delay onset) in immobile posture. Moreover, we measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) neurotrophin levels in the hypothalamus and corticosterone levels in plasma.

Results: The data showed that NPY induced a significant delay in the onset and a significant reduction in the duration of the immobility posture in FST. We also found that NPY decreased BDNF levels in the hypothalamus and corticosterone levels in plasma.

Discussion: Immobility posture in FST can be reduced by antidepressant drugs. Thus, our data show an antidepressant-like effect of NPY associated with changes in BDNF levels in the hypothalamus and reduced activity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

Conclusion: These findings, while confirming the involvement of the NPY system in stress-related disorders, suggest that a less invasive route of administration, such as an intraperitoneal injection, may be instrumental in coping with stressful events in animal models and perhaps in humans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of NPY peripheral administration on rat performances in the Forced Swim Test. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with either vehicle (saline) or NPY (60 μg /kg) for three consecutive days (n = 5 animals/group) between pretest and test sessions. Figure shows latency (A) and duration of immobility (B) (in seconds). Data represent means ± SEM. Asterisks indicate significant differences between groups (*P < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of NPY peripheral administration on neurotrophin production in the rat hypothalamus. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with either vehicle (saline) or NPY (60 μg /kg) for three consecutive days (n = 5 animals/group). Figure shows BDNF (A) and NGF (B) levels. Data represent means ± SEM. WW: wet weight. Asterisks indicate significant differences between groups (*P < 0.05).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Beck B. Neuropeptide Y in normal eating and in genetic and dietary‐induced obesity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2006;361:1159–1185. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Paschos KA, Veletza S, Chatzaki E. Neuropeptide and sigma receptors as novel therapeutic targets for the pharmacotherapy of depression. CNS Drugs 2009;23:755–772. - PubMed
    1. Redrobe JP, Dumont Y, Quirion R. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and depression: From animal studies to the human condition. Life Sci 2002;71:2921–2937. - PubMed
    1. Heilig M. The NPY system in stress, anxiety and depression. Neuropeptides 2004;38:213–224. - PubMed
    1. Jiménez‐Vasquez PA, Diaz‐Cabiale Z, Caberlotto L, Bellido I, Overstreet D, Fuxe K, Mathé AA. Electroconvulsive stimuli selectively affect behavior and neuropeptide Y (NPY) and NPY Y(1) receptor gene expressions in hippocampus and hypothalamus of Flinders Sensitive Line rat model of depression. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2007;17:298–308. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms