Antidepressant effects of tianeptine in mice
Katie Tsui
November, 2018
At the medical center in NYSPI, I contribute to a project in the Hen Lab that aims to determine the localization of the antidepressant effects of tianeptine. Unlike most other antidepressants that are categorized as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tianeptine is a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, which means that it functions at least partially through the opioid system. Even though tianeptine hasn’t received FDA approval in the U.S., it is used in Europe, South America, and Asia. Our goal is to simply better understand how the drug works and in which parts of the brain the antidepressant effects are localized.
The research that I worked on over the summer is part of a student’s PhD project and involves a lot of behavioral testing, where we regulate the amount of MORs in specific regions of the brain or in specific cell types in order to see how those changes affect tianeptine response in mice. Interestingly, there are possible differences that arise from acute and chronic administration that we would like to explore further. As a result, currently, we are trying to perfect a novel stress paradigm so that we can actually measure robust differences in behavior between mice with specific genotypes and MOR expression. This has proven to be more difficult than it sounds, as we often need to consider habituation from the long-term stress.
So far, we have not drawn any formal conclusions. There is some implication that maybe the hippocampus is involved with the antidepressant effects of tianeptine, but we would also like to look at other regions and pinpoint a specific cell type that is involved with this circuitry. In better understanding how alternatives to SSRIs work, maybe we can look into how other antidepressants can be developed, which has become increasingly urgent as depression has grown into a global health concern.
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10 Tips, Terms, and Advice for Your First Time in a Lab
Viggo Blomquist
November, 2018
1. “Run a gel”
● If someone says this they are most likely referring to electrophoresis.
2. Label your tubes!
● Being organized is one of the most important things. Helpful tip: tape over the writing stops ethanol from removing your label.
3. Know what GFP is
● Researchers utilize GFP and other fluorescent proteins to highlight cells of interest.
4. Optogenetics
● A relatively new technique that allows researchers to activate or inhibit certain neurons by inducing light gated ion channels into neuronal membranes via viral vectors.
5. IFA-immunofluorescence
● A method researchers use to determine if certain proteins are present in cells using fluorescent labeled antibodies (Look at number 3!).
6. No food or water in the lab
● This is a safety precaution.
7. “I have to do a mini”
● If someone says this they are most likely referring to a plasmid miniprep kit. These kits allow you to purify DNA from bacteria.
8. Wear the gloves.
● They are on every bench for a reason
9. Your studies are important.
● Make sure you are able to balance research and school. It can often feel like you are trapped in lab when you have other work to do. Don’t be afraid to say no to coming in if you have school work that needs to get done.
10. Just be nice!
● It not that hard.
Katie Tsui
November, 2018
At the medical center in NYSPI, I contribute to a project in the Hen Lab that aims to determine the localization of the antidepressant effects of tianeptine. Unlike most other antidepressants that are categorized as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tianeptine is a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, which means that it functions at least partially through the opioid system. Even though tianeptine hasn’t received FDA approval in the U.S., it is used in Europe, South America, and Asia. Our goal is to simply better understand how the drug works and in which parts of the brain the antidepressant effects are localized.
The research that I worked on over the summer is part of a student’s PhD project and involves a lot of behavioral testing, where we regulate the amount of MORs in specific regions of the brain or in specific cell types in order to see how those changes affect tianeptine response in mice. Interestingly, there are possible differences that arise from acute and chronic administration that we would like to explore further. As a result, currently, we are trying to perfect a novel stress paradigm so that we can actually measure robust differences in behavior between mice with specific genotypes and MOR expression. This has proven to be more difficult than it sounds, as we often need to consider habituation from the long-term stress.
So far, we have not drawn any formal conclusions. There is some implication that maybe the hippocampus is involved with the antidepressant effects of tianeptine, but we would also like to look at other regions and pinpoint a specific cell type that is involved with this circuitry. In better understanding how alternatives to SSRIs work, maybe we can look into how other antidepressants can be developed, which has become increasingly urgent as depression has grown into a global health concern.
—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--—————--———--
10 Tips, Terms, and Advice for Your First Time in a Lab
Viggo Blomquist
November, 2018
1. “Run a gel”
● If someone says this they are most likely referring to electrophoresis.
2. Label your tubes!
● Being organized is one of the most important things. Helpful tip: tape over the writing stops ethanol from removing your label.
3. Know what GFP is
● Researchers utilize GFP and other fluorescent proteins to highlight cells of interest.
4. Optogenetics
● A relatively new technique that allows researchers to activate or inhibit certain neurons by inducing light gated ion channels into neuronal membranes via viral vectors.
5. IFA-immunofluorescence
● A method researchers use to determine if certain proteins are present in cells using fluorescent labeled antibodies (Look at number 3!).
6. No food or water in the lab
● This is a safety precaution.
7. “I have to do a mini”
● If someone says this they are most likely referring to a plasmid miniprep kit. These kits allow you to purify DNA from bacteria.
8. Wear the gloves.
● They are on every bench for a reason
9. Your studies are important.
● Make sure you are able to balance research and school. It can often feel like you are trapped in lab when you have other work to do. Don’t be afraid to say no to coming in if you have school work that needs to get done.
10. Just be nice!
● It not that hard.
