Involvement of prolactin and somatostatin in depression and the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs

Neuropeptides have been implicated in the physiology and pathophysiology of stress responses and therefore may play an important role in the pathogenesis of affective disorders such as Major Depression Disorder (MDD). The data presented in this mini-review demonstrate the role of prolactin (PRL) and somatostatin (STT) in the pathology and pharmacotherapy of MDD, focusing particularly on the response to antidepressant treatment, and compare the available data with the results obtained in our laboratory using the well-validated chronic mild stress (CMS) animal model of MDD. Despite the availability of many pharmacological therapies for depression, ca. 35% patients remain treatment resistant. This clinical situation is also true for rats subjected to CMS; some animals do not respond to antidepressant therapy and are considered treatment resistant. The most interesting results presented in this mini-review concern the changes in PRL and SST receptors in the brains of rats subjected to the full CMS procedure and IMI treatment and demonstrate the role of these receptors in the mechanisms of antidepressant action. The possible interaction between SST and PRL, the involvement of the D-2 dopamine receptor, and their direct protein-protein interactions are also discussed, with the conclusion that these two neurohormones play an important role in the mechanism of resilience after stress as well as in the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs.