Laboratory tests in mice have shown promise
A potential new antidepressant and antianxiety treatment with a unique mechanism of action has been developed by scientists at the University of Bath.
The compound has shown significant potential after studies in mice. The research is published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
Dr Sarah Bailey and Professor Steve Husbands with their research team
Around one in six adults will experience depression in their lifetimes. New drugs to treat depression in particular are needed because many existing antidepressants don’t work in up to 50% of patients. This new University of Bath compound, known as BU10119, works in a different way to the most common antidepressant drugs; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and may therefore offer a new potential treatment for those in whom SSRIs don’t work.
Unlike SSRIs which target the serotonin system in the brain, BU10119 works by blocking receptors called kappa opioid receptors. Blocking these receptors has been shown to have anti-depressant like effects in mice.
In a series of laboratory trials, mice given BU10119 demonstrated behaviours consistent with providing antidepressant–like effects.
Dr Sarah Bailey, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology at the University of Bath, said: “I’m really quite excited by the potential of this compound. Developing new medicines is why I got into pharmacology and, in 20 years of research, this is the closest I have come to a new compound that might translate towards the clinic. It’s promising, but that said, we are still at an early stage, these experiments are in mice and further research is still required for example to establish safety.
“SSRIs can work very well for some patients, but we know they don’t work for everyone which is one reason why developing new antidepressant and antianxiety drugs could be really beneficial.”
The researchers were inspired to develop the compound after previous University of Bath research showed that a combination of two existing drugs, buprenorphine and naltrexone, had potential as an antidepressant. BU10119 combines the effects of this combination in one drug.
Professor Stephen Husbands, Head of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Bath added: “This research builds on our previous work which showed that combining buprenorphine and naltrexone can give antidepressant effects in mice. By combining the effects of both drugs in one molecule we hope that a safe and effective drug will eventually be the outcome. BU10119 is part of a series of compounds now licensed to, and under development with, Orexigen Therapeutics.”
The study was funded a by a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant and a PhD scholarship from the Government of Saudi Arabia.
The University of Bath has signed the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research. The University is committed to enhancing our communications with the media and public about our research using animals. Find out more: http://www.bath.ac.uk/collections/animal-research/
Learn more: New drug shows potential as a different kind of antidepressant in mouse trials
The Latest on: Depression and anxiety
- Sleep disturbances, depression may be early signs of Parkinson's diseaseon November 19, 2019 at 12:02 pm
told more than 4,000 neurologists from around the world in attendance that recent studies suggest that other health conditions -- like rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, constipation, ...
- Depression and anxiety rates ‘alarmingly high’ among LGBTQ Southerners, survey sayson November 19, 2019 at 9:52 am
Depression and anxiety rates are “alarmingly high” among LGBTQ Southerners, a new survey says. And those figures are even higher for people who experienced abuse “due to their LGBTQ identity,” ...
- Founder of laughter therapy Madan Kataria says laughing is the best exercise to overcome anxiety and depressionon November 19, 2019 at 5:33 am
Playing01:27Founder of laughter therapy Madan Kataria says laughing is the best exercise to overcome anxiety and depression Playing00:37'Heus and Views' organised by artist and transgender activist ...
- Steep rise in rates of anxiety and depression among youngon November 18, 2019 at 6:04 pm
Rates of anxiety and depression are on the rise among young people, according to the largest ever study of mental health among Irish teenagers and young adults. The research, which captures the views ...
- Maternal anxiety is reaching ‘crazy high rates’ in Utah, and experts aren’t sure whyon November 17, 2019 at 7:16 am
I just kind of felt like postpartum anxiety and depression robbed me of my first year of motherhood in a lot of ways.” The state’s maternal anxiety rate “keeps getting higher,” said Brook Dorff, a ...
- Depression: 35 extra minutes of exercise daily slashes riskon November 17, 2019 at 12:07 am
According to the researchers, who are from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the study is the first of its kind. The paper, which appears in the journal Depression and Anxiety, shows that ...
- Yoga May Help Reduce Symptoms Of Depression And Anxietyon November 15, 2019 at 6:33 am
Though yoga wasn’t exactly developed to treat depression and anxiety, research has shown that for some people, it does seem to be fairly good at it. A new study from researchers at the Boston ...
- Dr. Gregory Jantz Explains Signs and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety for the Holidayson November 13, 2019 at 4:06 pm
... speaking at conferences and appearing on television programs that are emphasizing depression and anxiety treatment, and the prevention of suicide. We spent five days at the American ...
- How To Navigate the Holiday Season With Anxiety and Depressionon November 13, 2019 at 11:48 am
Statistics show that over 17 million adults experience depression, and more than 40 million battle anxiety disorder in the United States. For those dealing with either, or both—know that you are not ...
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts offers new online program for members living with stress, depression and anxietyon November 12, 2019 at 4:06 pm
BOSTON, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) has added an innovative online resource to help members address their mild to moderate anxiety, depression or ...
via Google News and Bing News
