The dual blocker of FAAH/TRPV1 N-arachidonoylserotonin reverses the behavioral despair induced by stress in rats and modulates the HPA-axis

作者：Navarria Andrea; Tamburella Alessandra; Iannotti Fabio A; Micale Vincenzo; Camillieri Giovanni; Gozzo Lucia; Verde Roberta; Imperatore Roberta; Leggio Gian Marco; Drago Filippo; Di Marzo Vincenzo^*

来源：Pharmacological Research, 2014, 87: 151-159.

DOI：10.1016/j.phrs.2014.04.014

• N-Arachidonoylserotonin
• HPA-axis
• Stress
• FAAH
• TRPV1

In recent years, several studies have explored the involvement of the deregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders. HPA hyper-activation as a consequence of acute/chronic stress has been found to play a major role in the neurobiological changes that are responsible for the onset of such states. Currently available medications for depression, one of the most relevant stress-related disorders, present several limitations, including a time lag for treatment response and low rates of efficacy. N-Arachidonoylserotonin (AA-5-HT), a dual blocker at fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH, the enzyme responsible for the inactivation of the endocannabinoid anandamide) and transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 channel (TRPV1), produces anxiolytic-like effects in mice. The present study was designed to assess the capability of AA-5-HT to reverse the behavioral despair following exposure to stress in rats and the role of the HPA-axis. Behavioral tasks were performed, and corticosterone and endocannabinoid (anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol) levels were measured in selected brain areas critically involved in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders (medial PFC and hippocampus) under basal and stress conditions, and in response to treatment with AA-5-FIT. Our data show that AA-5-HT reverses the rat behavioral despair in the forced swim test under stress conditions, and this effect is associated with the normalization of the HPA-axis deregulation that follows stress application and only in part with elevation of anandamide levels. Blockade of FAAH and TRPV1 may thus represent a novel target to design novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

• 出版日期2014-9