Tyr-MIF-1 and MIF-1 are active in the water wheel test for antidepressant drugs.

MIF-1 [Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2] and Tyr-MIF-1 [Tyr-Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2] were tested in a system in which antidepressant drugs are known to result in increased wheel turning as mice attempt to escape from a small tank of water. One hr after injection, both peptides were found to cause a significant increase of the number of rotations of the wheel at doses as low as 0.01 mg/kg IP, the dose-response pattern for MIF-1 resembling an inverted-U. DSIP and morphine, by contrast, decreased the number of rotations. Under the conditions tested, neither MIF-1 nor Tyr-MIF-1 reversed the effect of morphine. The results demonstrate that MIF-1 and Tyr-MIF-1 are active in another test for antidepressants.