Spadin, a Sortilin-derived peptide: a new concept in the antidepressant drug design

Abstract

Depression is the most common of psychiatric illnesses. The design of effective treatments for this disorder is a challenging process. Recently, the two-pore domain potassium channel TREK-1 has been identified as a new target in depression, and its antagonists might become effective antidepressants. Deletion of TREK-1 gene results in a depression-resistant phenotype that mimics antidepressant treatments. Here, we validate the fast antidepressant effects of spadin, a secreted peptide derived from the propeptide generated by the maturation of the sortilin receptor and acting through TREK-1 inhibition.

Keywords

• Spadin
• TREK-1 channel
• depression
• behavior