A New Pharmaceutical Therapy Target for Depression and Other Central Nervous System Diseases

Abstract

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a new signal pathway involved in depression. This could be a potential target of pharmacological treatment of central nervous system disease and specially depression in man and companion animals. The technology could be best practiced with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors, which have high oral bioavailability, good pharmacokinetics, picomolar potency, low toxicity and CNS activity.

Full Description

Depression is a severe and chronic psychiatric disease, affecting 350 million subjects worldwide. Although antidepressants have been used in the treatment of depressive symptoms, their beneficial effects are limited.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a new signal pathway involved in depression. Soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors have been shown to block the development and reserve the symptoms of severe depression in their different murine models. The target enzyme has been shown to be at high levels in human samples from psychiatric diseases including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Inhibitors of this signal pathway have more rapid onset than other existing approved drugs, and do not have the side effects. Hence, this could be a new target of pharmacological treatment of central nervous system disease and specially depression in man and companion animals. Reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress by stabilizing key chemical mediators appears to be the underlying mechanism. Histological studies in experimental animals and cadavaric human tissue indicate that the technology can be useful in preventing or treating diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Applications

• Pharmaceutical therapy for central nervous system disease in human and animals

Features/Benefits

• Don’t have the side effects of existing approved drugs
• More rapid onset than the existing approved drugs

Patent Status