The 5-HT7 Receptor System As a Treatment Target for Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review

Overview

Journal J Psychopharmacol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2023 Nov 23

PMID 37994803

Authors

Natalie Gottlieb

Tse-Yi Li

Allan H Young

Paul Ra Stokes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Preclinical animal and preliminary human studies indicate that 5-HT7 antagonists have the potential as a new treatment approach for mood and anxiety disorders. In this systematic review, we aimed to review the relationship between the 5-HT7 receptor system and mood and anxiety disorders, and to explore the pharmacology and therapeutic potential of medications that target the 5-HT7 receptor for their treatment.

Methods: Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsycINFO databases, the National Institute of Health website Clinicaltrials.gov, controlled-trials.com, and relevant grey literature were used to search for original research articles, and reference lists of included articles were then hand searched.

Results: Sixty-four studies were included in the review: 52 animal studies and 12 human studies. Studies used a variety of preclinical paradigms and questionnaires to assess change in mood, and few studies examined sleep or cognition. Forty-four out of 47 (44/47) preclinical 5-HT7 modulation studies identified potential antidepressant effects and 20/23 studies identified potential anxiolytic effects. In clinical studies, 5/7 identified potential antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder, 1/2 identified potential anxiolytic effects in generalized anxiety disorder, and 3/3 identified potential antidepressant effects in bipolar disorders.

Conclusion: While there is some evidence that the 5-HT7 receptor system may be a potential target for treating mood and anxiety disorders, many agents included in the review also bind to other receptors. Further research is needed using drugs that bind specifically to 5-HT7 receptors to examine treatment proof of concept further.

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