A oxytocin (known as “love hormone “) may be a treatment option to alleviate symptoms associated with postpartum depression, anxiety and obesity, according to a new study published Tuesday (2) in the scientific journal Cell. The discovery was made after scientists identified a gene involved in the production of the hormone that, when absent or impaired, can cause the disease, in addition to being related to weight gain and behavioral problems.
By analyzing two boys from different families with severe obesity, anxiety, autism and behavioral problems triggered by sounds or smells, the team of researchers from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in the United States, discovered that the boys did not have a gene called TRPC5 located on the X chromosome.
It is part of a family of genes involved in detecting sensory signals, such as heat, taste and touch, and acts on a pathway in the hypothalamus region known to control appetite.
Further studies revealed that both boys inherited the genetic deletion from their mothers, who also lacked the gene on one of their X chromosomes. In addition, the mothers were obese and had also suffered from postpartum depression.
Given this scenario, the researchers tested whether the lack of the TRPC5 gene was the cause of the health conditions suffered by the boys and their mothers. To do this, the researchers used animal models (mice), genetically modifying them with a defective “version” of the gene.
According to the researchers, male mice with this defective gene presented the same problems as boys, including weight gain, anxiety, aversion to social interactions and aggressive behavior. Female mice, on the other hand, presented depressive behavior and difficulties in performing maternal care.
“What we saw in these mice was quite remarkable. They exhibited behaviors very similar to those seen in people without the TRPC5 gene, which in the mothers included signs of depression and difficulty caring for their babies. This tells us that this gene is causing these behaviors,” said Yong Xu, associate director for basic sciences at the USDA/ARS Child Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, in a press release.
Gene acts on neurons that produce oxytocin
By analyzing the hypothalamus region of the brain in detail, researchers found that TRPC5 acts on oxytocin neurons cells that produce the hormone of the same name — known as the “love hormone,” due to its release in response to displays of affection, emotion, and bonding.
Deleting the gene for these oxytocin neurons caused healthy mice to show similar signs of anxiety, increased appetite and impaired sociability. In the case of mothers, it increased signs of postpartum depression. On the other hand, restoring the gene in these neurons reduced body weight and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The researchers also found that TRPC5 acts on POMC neurons, which are known to play an important role in weight regulation. According to the researchers, children in whom the POMC gene is not functioning properly often have an insatiable appetite and gain weight early.
“There’s a reason why people without TRPC5 develop all these conditions. We’ve long known that the hypothalamus plays a key role in regulating ‘instinctive behaviours’ – which allow humans and animals to survive – such as foraging, social interaction, the fight or flight response and caring for their young,” explains Sadaf Farooqi, a professor at the Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.
“Our work shows that TRPC5 acts on oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamus to play a critical role in regulating our instincts,” he adds.
The researchers say their findings suggest that Restoring oxytocin may help treat people with missing or defective TRPC5 genes . Additionally, it may also be a potential treatment for postpartum depression.
“While some genetic conditions, such as TRPC5 deficiency, are very rare, they teach us important lessons about how the body works. In this case, we have made a breakthrough in understanding postpartum depression, a serious health problem about which very little is known despite many decades of research. And, importantly, it may point to oxytocin as a possible treatment for some mothers with this condition,” says Farooqi.
Source: CNN Brasil
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