Depression is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness, yet antidepressants are either effective only after prolonged treatment or remain largely ineffective. Mazella et al. identified a naturally occurring peptide, spadin, as a fast-acting antidepressant that interacts with, and blocks the activity of, a mood-regulating potassium channel, TREK-1. Mice lacking TREK-1 are resistant to depression and exhibit behavior similar to mice treated with antidepressants. Spadin-treated mice displayed a similar resistance to depression as TREK-1-deficient mice within only four days, as opposed to the several weeks necessary to respond to conventional therapies. Short-term spadin treatment induced classical antidepressant markers including increased CREB expression and neurogenesis. Unlike current depression medication, spadin’s rapid onset of action makes it a strong candidate to develop novel and more successful antidepressant medication.

Mazella J, Pétrault O, Lucas G, Deval E, Béraud-Dufour S, Gandin C, El-Yacoubi M, Widmann C, Guyon A, Chevet E, et al. (2010). Spadin, a sortilin-derived peptide, targeting rodent TREK-1 channels: a new concept in the antidepressant drug design. PLoS Biol. 8, e1000355.
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2010