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Behavioral effects of urotensin-II centrally administered in mice

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Abstract

Urotensin-II (U-II) receptors are widely distributed in the central nervous system. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of U-II causes hypertension and bradycardia and stimulates prolactin and thyrotropin secretion. However, the behavioral effects of centrally administered U-II have received little attention. In the present study, we tested the effects of i.c.v. injections of U-II on behavioral, metabolic, and endocrine responses in mice. Administration of graded doses of U-II (1–10,000 ng/mouse) provoked: (1) a dose-dependent reduction in the number of head dips in the hole-board test; (2) a dose-dependent reduction in the number of entries in the white chamber in the black-and-white compartment test, and in the number of entries in the central platform and open arms in the plus-maze test; and (3) a dose-dependent increase in the duration of immobility in the forced-swimming test and tail suspension test. Intracerebroventricular injection of U-II also caused an increase in: food intake at doses of 100 and 1,000 ng/mouse, water intake at doses of 100–10,000 ng/mouse, and horizontal locomotion activity at a dose of 10,000 ng/mouse. Whatever was the dose, the central administration of U-II had no effect on body temperature, nociception, apomorphine-induced penile erection and climbing behavior, and stress-induced plasma corticosterone level. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that the central injection of U-II at doses of 1–10,000 ng/mouse induces anxiogenic- and depressant-like effects in mouse. These data suggest that U-II may be involved in some aspects of psychiatric disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Neuropsychopharmacologie Expérimentale, CNRS FRE 2735, UFR de Médecine et Pharmacie, Institut Fédératif de Recherches Multidisciplinaires sur les Peptides (IFRMP 23), 22 Boulevard Gambetta, 76183, Rouen Cedex, France

    Jean-Claude Do-Rego, Marie-Hélène Orta, Bertrand Naudin, Camille Le Cudennec & Jean Costentin

  2. Laboratoire de Neuroendocrinologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, IFRMP 23, INSERM U 413, Université de Rouen, 76821, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France

    David Chatenet, Jérôme Leprince & Hubert Vaudry

  3. Institut de Recherches SERVIER (IDRS), 11 rue des Moulineaux, 92150, Suresnes, France

    Elizabeth Scalbert

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  1. Jean-Claude Do-Rego
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  2. David Chatenet
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  3. Marie-Hélène Orta
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  4. Bertrand Naudin
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  5. Camille Le Cudennec
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  9. Jean Costentin
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Correspondence to Jean Costentin.

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Do-Rego, JC., Chatenet, D., Orta, MH. et al. Behavioral effects of urotensin-II centrally administered in mice. Psychopharmacology 183, 103–117 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-005-0140-2

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