Figure 6. Effects of i.c.v. CRF receptor antagonists on restraint stress-induced defecation in mice.

Groups of mice fed ad libitum were injected i.c.v., under short-duration enflurane anaesthesia, with distilled water (5μl), the non-selective CRF₁/CRF₂ antagonist astressin (10μg), the selective CRF₁ antagonist NBI-35965 (50 or 100μg) or the selective CRF₂ antagonist astressin₂-B (10μg). Thereafter mice were subjected to a 1h session of stress (restraint in a cylinder) or left undisturbed in their home cages (non-stress). Pellet output was monitored at 15min intervals for the following 60min. A, cumulative pellet output for the 1h experimental time. B, time course changes in fecal pellet output at 15min intervals. *P<0.05 versus non-stress; ^#P<0.05 versus vehicle+stress group (ANOVA).