A large amount of clinical and experimental data suggest the involvement of
neurotrophins, in particular the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in
depression pathogenesis. However, the therapeutic use of BDNF is limited
because of its instability in biological fluids, poor blood-brain barrier (BBB)
permeability, and the presence of side effects. A low-molecular-weight mimetic
GSB-106, which is a substituted dimeric dipeptide
bis(N-monosuccinyl-L-seryl-L-lysine)hexamethylenediamide, was
designed and synthesized based on the BDNF fourth loop structure at the V.V.
Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology (RAMS). GSB-106 was found to exhibit an
antidepressant activity in various models of depressive-like state when
administered intraperitoneally to outbred mice and rats. An effect for the
substance, when administered daily for 4–5 days, was detected in the
Porsolt forced swimming test (0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg) and in the tail suspension
test in mice (1.0 and 1.5 mg/ kg). An effect for GSB-106 at doses of 0.1 and
0.5 mg/kg was observed after a single application in experiments on rats in the
Nomura water wheel test. The obtained evidence supports the hypothesis on the
involvement of BDNF in the pathogenesis of various depression conditions, thus
opening prospects for searching for new original antidepressants.
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