Behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of the selective CRF2 receptor agonists urocortin II and urocortin III.
We compared the in vivo efficacy of two selective CRF2 agonists, mouse urocortin II (mUcn II) and human urocortin III (hUcn III), using food intake, anxious behavior, or ACTH release in CD-1 or Balb/c mice as indices of biological stress responses. All three peptides produced anorexia (Minimal Effective Dose (M.E.D.) for CRF and mUcn II = 0.03 nmol; M.E.D. for hUcn III = 0.3 nmol). Only mUcn II and CRF appeared to increase anxious behaviors in the elevated plus maze test (M.E.D. = 0.3 and 0.01 nmol, respectively). CRF increased the release of plasma ACTH (M.E.D. of 0.3 nmol), while mUcn II and hUcn III had no effect on ACTH release. These data suggest that the CRF2 receptor subtype plays a primary role in the activation of behavioral, but not neuroendocrine, stress responses.
Pelleymounter
Mary Ann
MA
Department of Neuroscience, Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
Joppa
Margaret
M
Ling
Nick
N
Foster
Alan C
AC
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054832:Urocortins
C101531:CRF receptor type 2; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D054832:Urocortins; C518358:urocortin 2, mouse; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone