Neuropeptide S reduces mouse aggressiveness in the resident/intruder test through selective activation of the neuropeptide S receptor.
Neuropeptide S (NPS) regulates various biological functions by selectively activating the NPS receptor (NPSR). In particular NPS evokes robust anxiolytic-like effects in rodents together with a stimulant and arousal promoting action. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of NPS on the aggressiveness of mice subjected to the resident/intruder test. Moreover the putative role played by the endogenous NPS/NPSR system in regulating mice aggressiveness was investigating using mice lacking the NPSR receptor (NPSR(-/-)) and the NPSR selective antagonists [(t)Bu-D-Gly(5)]NPS and SHA 68. NPS (0.01-1 nmol, icv) reduced, in a dose dependent manner, both the time that resident mice spent attacking the intruder mice and their number of attacks, producing pharmacological effects similar to those elicited by the standard anti-aggressive drug valproate (300 mg/kg, ip). This NPS effect was evident in NPSR wild type (NPSR(+/+)) mice but completely disappeared in NPSR(-/-) mice. Moreover, NPSR(-/-) mice displayed a significantly higher time spent attacking than NPSR(+/+) mice. [(t)Bu-D-Gly(5)]NPS (10 nmol, icv) did not change the behavior of mice in the resident/intruder test but completely counteracted NPS effects. SHA 68 (50 mg/kg, ip) was inactive per se and against NPS. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that NPS produces anti-aggressive effects in mice through the selective activation of NPSR and that the endogenous NPS/NPSR system can exert a role in the control of aggressiveness levels under the present experimental conditions.
['Ruzza|Chiara|C|', 'Asth|Laila|L|', 'Guerrini|Remo|R|', 'Trapella|Claudio|C|', 'Gavioli|Elaine C|EC|']
D000374:Aggression D000818:Animals D002491:Central Nervous System Agents D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug D008297:Male D051379:Mice D018345:Mice, Knockout D009479:Neuropeptides D023303:Oxazolidinones D010641:Phenotype D011619:Psychotropic Drugs D011719:Pyrazines D011897:Random Allocation D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide D014635:Valproic Acid
Neuropeptide S Aggressiveness Resident/intruder test Neuropeptide S receptor Mice [(t)Bu-D-Gly(5)]NPS SHA 68 NPSR knockout mice