[HTML][HTML] Monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors produce pro-or antidepressant responses via hippocampal CA1 GABAergic synapses

Y Wang, N Gu, T Duan, P Kesner, F Blaskovits… - Molecular …, 2017 - nature.com
Y Wang, N Gu, T Duan, P Kesner, F Blaskovits, J Liu, Y Lu, L Tong, F Gao, C Harris
Molecular psychiatry, 2017nature.com
The probability of suffering the mood disorder depression is up to 30% in women and 15%
in men during their life span. Pharmacological options for depression are limited:
conventional antidepressants have low efficacy and a delayed onset of action (several
weeks). Here we investigate the antidepressant actions of inhibitors of monoacylglycerol
lipase (MAGL), the major degradative enzyme of the endocannabinoid 2-
arachidonoylglycerol. A low-dose of MAGL inhibitors produces antidepressant effects on …
Abstract
The probability of suffering the mood disorder depression is up to 30% in women and 15% in men during their life span. Pharmacological options for depression are limited: conventional antidepressants have low efficacy and a delayed onset of action (several weeks). Here we investigate the antidepressant actions of inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the major degradative enzyme of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. A low-dose of MAGL inhibitors produces antidepressant effects on acute stress-exposed mice, through glutamatergic synaptic long-term depression (LTD), without significant effects on chronic corticosterone-exposed mice. In contrast, a high-dose of MAGL inhibitors produces pro-or antidepressant effects on acute stress-or chronic corticosterone-exposed mice, respectively, through GABAergic synaptic disinhibition. In the hippocampus, in vivo inhibition of MAGL induces a CB 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB 1 R)-dependent suppression of inhibitory GABAergic synapses and an in vivo LTD of excitatory glutamatergic synapses. LTD induction requires CB 1 R in astroglial cells (but not in GABAergic or glutamatergic neurons) and postsynaptic glutamate receptors. The conventional antidepressant fluoxetine produces rapid or delayed antidepressant effects in acute stress-or chronic corticosterone-exposed mice, respectively. We propose that depression-like behavior of animals in response to acute stress is the normal behavioral response, and thus, MAGL inhibitors, which produce antidepressant effects in chronic corticosterone-exposed animals through GABAergic synaptic disinhibition, represent a new class of rapidly-acting and long-lasting antidepressants.
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