Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a mood disorder affecting up to 8% of all menstruating women that greatly impacts health and well-being, with symptoms similar to depression and anxiety. In a study published in the journal Biomolecules, researchers from Umeå University and Asarina Pharma AB investigate the link between estrus cycle-dependent aggressive behavior in rats and moderately increased levels of positive GABA-A receptor-modulating steroids during early diestrus. The GABA-A receptor is a common drug target and treatment with positive allosteric modulators (PAM) generally have a sedative effect. However, in some individuals, a moderate increase in PAM-levels results in increased aggression, and the group of researchers, led by Professor Torbjörn Bäckström, propose that this can be linked to PMDD.
In their study, the researchers investigated if isoallopregnanolone (ISO), a GABA-A-modulating steroid antagonist, has the potential to reduce estrus cycle-dependent aggressive behavior in rats. Using Dynaflow Resolve, the researchers studied the effect of PAMs on GABA-A receptors, with and without ISO. Their results show that ISO significantly antagonizes the modulating effect of PAMs, without completely blocking the effect. Furthermore, in experiments on rats, the researchers found that the treatment with ISO resulted in an 89% reduction in the increase in aggressive behavior at diestrus compared to that at estrus.
We are honored that Torbjörn Bäckström and coworkers have chosen to use Dynaflow Resolve in their research and congratulate them on their interesting findings. We look forward to seeing further progress in this important field of research in the future.
Read the article Isoallopregnanolone Inhibits Estrus Cycle-Dependent Aggressive Behavior in Biomolecules.