Anti-depressant effects of a human telomerase-derived peptide GV1001 in an animal model of chronic restraint stress

Depression is a common cause of mental illness in the modern world, and the wide variation in symptoms makes it difficult to develop suitable antidepressants. The commonly used serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) cause many side effects, making it imperative to develop alternative treatments. GV1001, a 16-amino acid peptide derived from human telomerase reverse transcriptase, has shown various neuroprotective effects in recent studies. However, its effects on depression were unknown. In this study, we found that the administration of GV1001 rescued cognitive deficits, anxiety-, and depressive-like behaviors in a mouse model of chronic restraint stress (CRS). GV1001 efficiently reduced the increased serum corticosterone level and suppressed activation of the hypothalamic CRH neurons, suggesting the modulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Collectively, our findings provide evidence for a novel antidepressant efficacy of GV1001.