The serotonergic anxiolytic buspirone attenuates circadian responses to light

Systematic review of drugs that modify the circadian system's phase-shifting responses to light exposure

We searched PubMed for primary research quantifying drug modification of light-induced circadian phase-shifting in rodents. This search, conducted for work published between 1960 and 2018, yielded a total of 146 papers reporting results from 901 studies. Relevant articles were those with any extractable data on phase resetting in wildtype (non-trait selected) rodents administered a drug, alongside a vehicle/control group, near or at the time of exposure. Most circadian pharmacology experiments were done using drugs thought to act directly on either the brain's central pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the SCN's primary relay, the retinohypothalamic tract, secondary pathways originating from the medial/dorsal raphe nuclei and intergeniculate leaflet, or the brain's sleep-arousal centers. While the neurotransmitter systems underlying these circuits were of particular interest, including those involving glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, and acetylcholine, other signaling modalities have also been assessed, including agonists and antagonists of receptors linked to dopamine, histamine, endocannabinoids, adenosine, opioids, and second-messenger pathways downstream of glutamate receptor activation. In an effort to identify drugs that unduly influence circadian responses to light, we quantified the net effects of each drug class by ratioing the size of the phase-shift observed after administration to that observed with vehicle in a given experiment. This allowed us to organize data across the literature, compare the relative efficacy of one mechanism versus another, and clarify which drugs might best suppress or potentiate phase resetting. Aggregation of the available data in this manner suggested that several candidates might be clinically relevant as auxiliary treatments to suppress ectopic light responses during shiftwork or amplify the circadian effects of timed bright light therapy. Future empirical research will be necessary to validate these possibilities.

Chronic BMY7378 treatment alters behavioral circadian rhythms

The mammalian circadian clock is synchronized to the day : night cycle by light. Serotonin modulates the circadian effects of light, with agonists inhibiting response to light and antagonists enhancing responses to light. A special class of serotonergic compounds, the mixed 5-HT_1A agonist/antagonists, potentiates light-induced phase advances by up to 400% when administered acutely. In this study, we examine the effects of one of these mixed 5-HT_1A agonist/antagonists, BMY7378, when administered chronically. Thirty adult male hamsters were administered either vehicle or BMY7378 via surgically implanted osmotic mini pumps over a period of 28 days. In a light : dark cycle, chronic BMY7378 advanced the phase angle of entrainment, prolonged the duration of the active phase and attenuated the amplitude of the wheel-running rhythm during the early night. In constant darkness, chronic treatment with BMY7378 significantly attenuated light-induced phase advances, but had no significant effect on light-induced phase delays. Non-photic phase shifts to daytime administration of a 5-HT_1A/7 agonist were also attenuated by chronic BMY7378 treatment. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that chronic BMY7378 treatment upregulated mRNA for 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_1B receptors in the hypothalamus and downregulated mRNA for 5-HT_1A and monoamine oxidase-A in the brainstem. These results highlight adaptive changes of serotonin receptors in the brain to chronic treatment with BMY7378 and link such up- and downregulation to changes in important circadian parameters. Such long-term changes to the circadian system should be considered when patients are treated chronically with drugs that alter serotonergic function.

Circadian behavior of adult mice exposed to stress and fluoxetine during development

INTRODUCTION

Women of child-bearing age are the population at greatest risk for depression. The stress experienced during pregnancy and the associated antidepressant treatments can both affect fetal development. Fluoxetine (FLX) is among the most common antidepressants used by pregnant women. We have previously demonstrated that perinatal exposure to FLX can alter expression of circadian rhythms in adulthood. Here, we examine the combined effects of maternal stress during pregnancy and perinatal exposure to the antidepressant FLX on the circadian behavior of mice as adults.

METHODS

Mouse dams were exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (embryonic (E) day 7 to E18), FLX (E15 to postnatal day 12), a combination of both stress and FLX, or were left untreated. At 2 months of age, male offspring were placed in recording chambers and circadian organization of wheel running rhythms and phase shifts to photic and non-photic stimuli were assessed.

RESULTS

Mice exposed to prenatal stress (PS) had smaller light-induced phase delays. Mice exposed to perinatal FLX required more days to re-entrainment to an 8-h phase advance of their light-dark cycle. Mice subjected to either perinatal FLX or to PS had larger light-induced phase advances and smaller phase advances to 8-OH-DPAT. FLX treatment partially reversed the effect of PS on phase shifts to late-night light exposure and to 8-OH-DPAT.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that, in mice, perinatal exposure to either FLX, or PS, or their combination, leads to discernible, persistent changes in their circadian systems as adults.

Potentials of Mangifera indica in the treatment of depressive-anxiety disorders: possible mechanisms of action

BACKGROUND

Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) is an important herb in the traditional African and Ayurvedic medicines. The stem barks are used in the treatment of hypertension, insomnia, tumour, depression, rheumatism and as a tonic. This study was carried out to investigate antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effect of the hydroethanol stem bark extract of M. indica (HeMI) in mice.

METHODS

HeMI (12.5-100 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered 1 h before subjecting the animal to the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and elevated plus maze tests (EPM).

RESULTS

HeMI (12.5-100 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment produced significant reduction in immobility time [F(6.56)=8.35, p<0.001], [F(6,56)=7.55, p<0.001] in the FST and TST, respectively. Moreover, co-administration of sub-therapeutic doses of imipramine or fluoxetine with HeMI (3.125 mg/kg) elicited significant reduction in time spent immobile in the FST. However, pretreatment of mice with parachlorophenylalanine, metergoline, yohimbine or sulpiride abolished the antidepressant-like effect elicited by HeMI. In the EPM, HeMI produced significant [F(5,42)=8.91, p<0.001] increase in open arms exploration by 75.55 % and this effect was blocked by pretreatment of mice with flumazenil or metergoline.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study showed antidepressant-like effect of M. indica through interaction with 5-HT2 receptor, α2-adrenoceptor and dopamine D2-receptors. Also, an anxiolytic-like effect through its affinity for 5-HT2 and benzodiazepine receptors. Hence, M. indica could be a potential phytotherapeutic agent in the treatment of mixed anxiety-depressive illness.

Triptans attenuate circadian responses to light

Daily exposure to light synchronizes the circadian clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), to external day/night cycles. These responses to light can be modified by serotonergic drugs, such as serotonin 5HT1B receptor agonists. Triptans are specific 5HT1B agonists prescribed to treat migraines. Here, we examined the effects of two triptans (zolmitriptan and sumatriptan) on photic phase resetting in Syrian hamsters. Pre-treatment with intra-SCN sumatriptan significantly attenuates, and at higher doses completely blocks, phase advances to light during the late night. Pre-treatment with systemic zolmitriptan significantly attenuates both light-induced phase advances and phase delays. Neither of these drugs, nor their vehicles, causes phase shifts on their own. Pre-treatment with zolmitriptan also significantly reduces the expression of light-induced c-fos in the SCN. Neither zolmitriptan nor vehicle alone induces significant c-fos expression in the SCN. Finally, pre-treatment with zolmitriptan does not attenuate phase shifts to intra-SCN N-methyl-d-aspartate injections, indicating that the mechanism of action for zolmitriptan is likely to be through activation of presynaptic 5HT1B receptors on retinal terminals, thereby decreasing light-induced neurotransmitter release. As triptans are commercially available medications, there is potential for their use in blocking unwanted photic phase shifting during shift-work or jet-lag. Additionally, triptans may also affect the circadian clock in patients receiving them regularly for migraines. Finally, our results may hint at the mechanism by which triptans can alleviate the photophobia that frequently accompanies migraines, namely by activating 5HT1B receptors on retinal terminals elsewhere in the brain, and thereby diminishing visually-evoked neurotransmitter signalling in those areas.

Temporal changes of light-induced proteins in the SCN following treatment with the serotonin mixed agonist/antagonist BMY7378

The 5-HT1A mixed agonist/antagonist BMY7378 has been shown to greatly potentiate photic phase advances in hamsters. The underlying mechanism and intracellular changes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) by which this potentiation is accomplished have yet to be fully determined. Here, we examine the effect of BMY7378 on temporal activation patterns of a number of proteins and enzymes in the SCN following light exposure in the late subjective night. BMY7378 administration increased the amount of several photo-inducible proteins in the SCN at specific time points following light exposure in the late subjective night. Relative to animals given saline before a light pulse, the number of cells immunoreactive for cFos, JunB and PER1 was all significantly greater 360 min following the light pulse in BMY7378 pretreated animals, indicating an extended action of these light-induced proteins in the SCN following BMY7378 pretreatment. Aside from a modest, nonsignificant increase in P-ERK levels at 60 min, BMY7378 did not affect light-induced P-ERK levels. The levels of light-induced P-CREB were similarly unaffected by BMY7378. Also unaffected by BMY7378 treatment were cFos expression and JunB expression at 120 and 180 min following light exposure. These findings suggest that BMY7378 may potentiate photic phase shifts at least partly by prolonging the activity of some, but not all, light-induced proteins and biochemical pathways involved in coupling the light signal to the output of the circadian clock, particularly those which are active many hours after the light signal reaches the SCN.