Converging evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies suggests atrial natriuretic
peptide (ANP) as a potential target for treatment of alcohol withdrawal and dependence.
Since ANP tightly interacts with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis
activity, especially the modulation of stress-related anxiety during alcohol withdrawal
might mediate these effects. We have now evaluated the anxiolytic activity of intraperitoneal
ANP application during alcohol withdrawal in alcohol-habituated mice (C57/Bl6J). Anxiety
related behaviour was attenuated during ethanol withdrawal following application of
ANP (60 μg/kg) vs. saline. Our results support that anxiolytic effects of ANP mediate
ANP-related gene effects with clinical data on withdrawal symptomatology.
Key words
ANP - alcoholism - HPA - natriuretic peptides - anxiety