title: Melanin-concentrating hormone functions in the nervous system: food intake and stress.
abstract: Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic neuropeptide, which centrally regulates food intake and stress. MCH induces food intake in rodents and, more generally, acts as an anabolic signal in energy regulation. In addition, MCH seems to be activatory on the stress axis. Two receptors for MCH in humans have very recently been characterised, namely, MCH-R1 and MCH-R2. MCH-R1 has received considerable attention, as potent and selective antagonists acting at that receptor display anxiolytic, antidepressant and/or anorectic properties. Feeding and affective disorders are both debilitating conditions that have become serious worldwide health threats. There are as yet no efficient and/or safe cures that could contain the near-pandemia phenomen of both diseases. Thus, the discovery of MCH-R1 antagonists may lead to the development of valuable drugs to treat obesity, anxiety and depressive syndromes. In addition, it opens wide avenues to probe additional functions of the peptide, both in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system.
authors.affiliation: GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Drug Discovery, Neurology Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery, New Frontiers Science Park - North, HW1713 Building H17, L1-130 C06 Third Avenue, Harlow, Essex CM19 5AW, UK. guillaume_hervieu-1@gsk.com
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hervieu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001066:Appetite / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004285:Dogs; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005289:Ferrets; D006801:Humans; D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D008543:Melanins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D011323:Primates; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011979:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D007028:Hypothalamic Hormones; D008543:Melanins; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D011979:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone; C092274:melanin-concentrating hormone receptor; C019463:melanin-concentrating hormone