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Chang L, He Y, Tian T, Li B. Nucleus accumbens ghrelin signaling controls anxiety-like behavioral response to acute stress. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2024; 20:18. [PMID: 38965529 PMCID: PMC11225390 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-024-00244-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders. Ghrelin is a critical orexigenic brain-gut peptide that regulates food intake and metabolism. Recently, the ghrelin system has attracted more attention for its crucial roles in psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. However, the underlying neural mechanisms involved have not been fully investigated. METHODS In the present study, the effect and underlying mechanism of ghrelin signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core on anxiety-like behaviors were examined in normal and acute stress rats, by using immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, neuropharmacology, molecular manipulation and behavioral tests. RESULTS We reported that injection of ghrelin into the NAc core caused significant anxiolytic effects. Ghrelin receptor growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is highly localized and expressed in the NAc core neurons. Antagonism of GHSR blocked the ghrelin-induced anxiolytic effects. Moreover, molecular knockdown of GHSR induced anxiogenic effects. Furthermore, injection of ghrelin or overexpression of GHSR in the NAc core reduced acute restraint stress-induced anxiogenic effects. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that ghrelin and its receptor GHSR in the NAc core are actively involved in modulating anxiety induced by acute stress, and raises an opportunity to treat anxiety disorders by targeting ghrelin signaling system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leilei Chang
- Women and Children's Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yecheng He
- Department of Preclinical Medicine, Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Tian Tian
- Department of Child Health Care, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Bin Li
- Women and Children's Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China.
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Yang L, Kung CJS, Lu Z, Liu JYH, Ngan MP, Sakai T, Sakata I, Chan SW, Tu L, Rudd JA. Exploring the role of ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Neuropharmacology 2024; 251:109919. [PMID: 38548221 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Ghrelin and its mimetics have been shown to reduce cisplatin-induced emesis in preclinical studies using ferrets and shrews. This study investigated the effectiveness of ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin (DAG) in antagonizing cisplatin-induced emesis and physiological changes indicative of nausea in Suncus murinus. Animals implanted with radiotelemetry devices were administered ghrelin (0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 μg/day), DAG (0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 μg/day), or saline (14 μL/day) intracerebroventricularly 4 days before and 3 days after treatment with cisplatin (30 mg/kg). At the end, the anti-apoptotic potentials of ghrelin and DAG were assessed by measuring Bax expression and cytochrome C activity. Neurotransmitter changes in the brain were evaluated using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Ghrelin and DAG reduced cisplatin-induced emesis in the delayed (24-72 h) but not the acute phase (0-24 h) of emesis. Ghrelin also partially reversed the inhibitory effects of cisplatin on food intake without affecting gastrointestinal myoelectrical activity or causing hypothermia; however, ghrelin or DAG did not prevent these effects. Ghrelin and DAG could attenuate the cisplatin-induced upregulation of Bax and cytochrome C in the ileum. Cisplatin dysregulated neurotransmitter levels in the frontal cortex, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem, and this was partially restored by low doses of ghrelin and DAG. Our findings suggest that ghrelin and DAG exhibit protective effects against cisplatin-induced delayed emesis. The underlying antiemetic mechanism may involve GHSR and/or unspecified pathways that modulate the neurotransmitters involved in emesis control in the brain and an action to attenuate apoptosis in the gastrointestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqing Yang
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Charmaine J S Kung
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Zengbing Lu
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Julia Y H Liu
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Man Piu Ngan
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Takafumi Sakai
- Faculty of Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo 255, Sakura-ku, Saitama-shi, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Ichiro Sakata
- Faculty of Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Shimo-Okubo 255, Sakura-ku, Saitama-shi, 338-8570, Japan
| | - Sze Wa Chan
- School of Health Sciences, Saint Francis University, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Longlong Tu
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
| | - John A Rudd
- Emesis Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
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Chang L, Niu F, Li B. Ghrelin/GHSR signaling in the lateral septum ameliorates chronic stress-induced depressive-like behaviors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 131:110953. [PMID: 38278286 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Ghrelin is a gastrointestinal hormone on feeding and metabolism regulation, and acts through its receptor-growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), which is widely distributed throughout the central nervous system. Recent studies have suggested that ghrelin plays an important role in the regulation of depression, but the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. Lateral septum (LS) is a critical brain region in modulating depression. Therefore, we investigated the role of ghrelin/GHSR signaling in the LS on the depressive-like behaviors of mice under conditions of chronic stress by using behavioral tests, neuropharmacology, and molecular biology techniques. We found that infusion of ghrelin into the LS produced antidepressant-like responses in mice. Activation of LS GABAergic neurons was involved in the antidepressant effect of ghrelin. Importantly, GHSR was highly expressed and distributed in the LS neurons. Blockade of GHSR in the LS reversed the ghrelin-induced antidepressant-like effects. Molecular knockdown of GHSR in the LS induced depressive-like symptoms in mice. Furthermore, administration of ghrelin into the LS alleviated depressive-like behaviors induced by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Consistent with the neuropharmacological results, overexpression of GHSR in the LS reversed CSDS-induced depressive-like behaviors. Our findings clarify a key role for ghrelin/GHSR signaling in the regulation of chronic stress-induced depressive-like behaviors, which could provide new strategies for the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leilei Chang
- Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Fengnan Niu
- Department of Pathology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Bin Li
- Women and Children's Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
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Maric I, López-Ferreras L, Bhat Y, Asker M, Börchers S, Bellfy L, Byun S, Kwapis JL, Skibicka KP. From the stomach to locus coeruleus: new neural substrate for ghrelin's effects on ingestive, motivated and anxiety-like behaviors. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1286805. [PMID: 38026980 PMCID: PMC10679437 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1286805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ghrelin, a stomach-derived orexigenic hormone, has a well-established role in energy homeostasis, food reward, and emotionality. Noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) are known to play an important role in arousal, emotion, cognition, but recently have also been implicated in control of feeding behavior. Ghrelin receptors (the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHSR) may be found in the LC, but the behavioral effects of ghrelin signaling in this area are still unexplored. Here, we first determined whether GHSR are present in the rat LC, and demonstrate that GHSR are expressed on noradrenergic neurons in both sexes. We next investigated whether ghrelin controls ingestive and motivated behaviors as well as anxiety-like behavior by acting in the LC. To pursue this idea, we examined the effects of LC GHSR stimulation and blockade on food intake, operant responding for a palatable food reward and, anxiety-like behavior in the open field (OF) and acoustic startle response (ASR) tests in male and female rats. Our results demonstrate that intra-LC ghrelin administration increases chow intake and motivated behavior for sucrose in both sexes. Additionally, females, but not males, exhibited a potent anxiolytic response in the ASR. In order to determine whether activation of GHSR in the LC was necessary for feeding and anxiety behavior control, we utilized liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2), a newly identified endogenous GHSR antagonist. LEAP2 delivered specifically into the LC was sufficient to reduce fasting-induced chow hyperphagia in both sexes, but food reward only in females. Moreover, blockade of GHSR in the LC increased anxiety-like behavior measured in the ASR test in both sexes. Taken together, these results indicate that ghrelin acts in the LC to alter ingestive, motivated and anxiety-like behaviors, with a degree of sex divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Maric
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Lorena López-Ferreras
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yashaswini Bhat
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Mohammed Asker
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Stina Börchers
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Lauren Bellfy
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Suyeun Byun
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Janine L. Kwapis
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Karolina P. Skibicka
- Institute for Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
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