1
|
Fang Y, Pan H, Zhu H, Wang H, Ye M, Ren J, Peng J, Li J, Lu X, Huang C. Intranasal LAG3 antibody infusion induces a rapid antidepressant effect via the hippocampal ERK1/2-BDNF signaling pathway in chronically stressed mice. Neuropharmacology 2024; 259:110118. [PMID: 39153731 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 08/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
The decline of microglia in the dentate gyrus is a new phenomenon that may explain the pathogenesis of depression, and reversing this decline has an antidepressant effect. The development of strategies that restore the function of dentate gyrus microglia in under stressful conditions is becoming a new focus. Lymphocyte-activating gene-3 (LAG3) is an immune checkpoint expressed by immune cells including microglia. One of its functions is to suppress the expansion of immune cells. In a recent study, chronic systemic administration of a LAG3 antibody that readily penetrates the brain was reported to reverse chronic stress-induced hippocampal microglia decline and depression-like behaviors. We showed here that a single intranasal infusion of a LAG3 antibody (In-LAG3 Ab) reversed chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced depression-like behaviors in a dose-dependent manner, which was accompanied by an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the dentate gyrus. Infusion of an anti-BDNF antibody into the dentate gyrus, construction of knock-in mice with the BDNF Val68Met allele, or treatment with the BDNF receptor antagonist K252a abolished the antidepressant effect of In-LAG3 Ab. Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) is required for the reversal effect of In-LAG3 Ab on CUS-induced depression-like behaviors and BDNF decrease in the dentate gyrus. Moreover, both inhibition and depletion of microglia prevented the reversal effect of In-LAG3 Ab on CUS-induced depression-like behaviors and impairment of ERK1/2-BDNF signaling in the dentate gyrus. These results suggest that In-LAG3 Ab exhibits an antidepressant effect through microglia-mediated activation of ERK1/2 and synthesis of BDNF in the dentate gyrus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yunli Fang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hainan Pan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haojie Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hanxiao Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Minxiu Ye
- Department of Pharmacy, Kunshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, #388 Zuchongzhi South Road, Kunshan, Suzhou, 215300, China
| | - Jie Ren
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Peng
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinxin Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Changzhou Geriatric Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changzhou No. 7 People's Hospital, #288 Yanling East Road, Changzhou 223000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xu Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Chao Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhu H, Pan H, Fang Y, Wang H, Chen Z, Hu W, Tong L, Ren J, Lu X, Huang C. Apoptosis-induced decline in hippocampal microglia mediates the development of depression-like behaviors in adult mice triggered by unpredictable stress during adolescence. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 978:176763. [PMID: 38906239 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Depression triggered by harmful stress during adolescence is a common problem that can affect mental health. To date, the mechanisms underlying this type of depression remain unclear. One mechanism for the promotion of depression by chronic stress in adulthood is the loss of hippocampal microglia. Since deleterious stress in adolescence also activates microglia, we investigated the dynamic changes of microglia in the hippocampus in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) in adolescence. Our results showed that 12 days of CUS stimulation in adolescence induced typical depression-like behaviors in adult mice, which were accompanied by a significant decrease and dystrophy of microglia in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Further analysis showed that this decrease in microglia was mediated by the initial response of microglia to unpredictable stress in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and their subsequent apoptosis. Blocking the initial response of microglia to unpredictable stress by pretreatment with minocycline was able to prevent apoptosis and microglial decline as well as the development of depression-like behaviors in adult mice induced by adolescent CUS. Moreover, administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or macrophage-colony stimulatory factor (M-CSF), two drugs that reversed microglia decline in the dentate gyrus, ameliorated the depression-like behaviors induced by CUS stimulation in adolescence. These findings reveal a novel mechanism for the development of depression-like behaviors in animals triggered by deleterious stress in adolescence and suggest that reversing microglial decline in the hippocampus may be a hopeful strategy for the treatment of depression triggered by deleterious stress in adolescence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haojie Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hainan Pan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yunli Fang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hanxiao Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Invasive Technology Department, Nantong First People's Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, #6 North Road Hai'er Xiang, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Wenfeng Hu
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Nantong University, #399 Shijidadao, Nantong, 226007, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Lijuan Tong
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jie Ren
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xu Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Chao Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mokhtari T, Irandoost E, Sheikhbahaei F. Stress, pain, anxiety, and depression in endometriosis-Targeting glial activation and inflammation. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 132:111942. [PMID: 38565045 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Endometriosis (EM) is a gynecological inflammatory disease often accompanied by stress, chronic pelvic pain (CPP), anxiety, and depression, leading to a diminished quality of life. This review aims to discuss the relationship between systemic and local inflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS), focusing on glial dysfunctions (astrocytes and microglia) as in critical brain regions involved in emotion, cognition, pain processing, anxiety, and depression. The review presents that EM is connected to increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the circulation. Additionally, chronic stress and CPP as stressors may contribute to the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, depleting the production of inflammatory mediators in the circulatory system and the brain. The systemic cytokines cause blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, activate microglia in the brain, and lead to neuroinflammation. Furthermore, CPP may induce neuronal morphological alterations in critical regions through central sensitization and the activation of glial cells. The activation of glial cells, particularly the polarization of microglia, leads to the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines. These inflammatory cytokines interact with the signaling pathways involved in neural plasticity. Additionally, persistent inflammatory conditions in the brain lead to neuronal death, which is correlated with a reduced volume of key brain regions such as the hippocampus. This review highlights the involvement of glial cells in the pathogenesis of the mental comorbidities of EM (i.e., pain, anxiety, and depression) and to discuss potential therapeutic approaches for targeting the inflammation and activation of microglia in key brain regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tahmineh Mokhtari
- Department of Pharmacology, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Elnaz Irandoost
- Sarem Women's Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Fatemeh Sheikhbahaei
- Department of Anatomy, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhao C, Shi R, Lu X, Yang R, Chen Z, Chen B, Hu W, Ren J, Peng J, Zhu T, Zhu H, Huang C. Obligatory role of microglia-mobilized hippocampal CREB-BDNF signaling in the prophylactic effect of β-glucan on chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 964:176288. [PMID: 38142848 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Our previous studies have reported that pre-stimulation of microglia before stress stimulation is a possible strategy to prevent depression-like phenotypes; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect are still unclear. Here, we used β-glucan, a polysaccharide from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with immunomodulatory activities that cannot elicit pro-inflammatory responses in microglia, to address this issue. Our results showed that a single injection of β-glucan one day before stress exposure dose-dependently prevented the depression-like behaviors triggered by chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), which peaked at 20 mg/kg and prevented the impairment of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, a pathological process critical for the progression of depression-like phenotypes. Inhibition of BDNF signaling by infusion of an anti-BDNF antibody into the hippocampus, knock-in of the mutant BDNF Val68Met allele, or blockade of the BDNF receptor in the hippocampus abolished the preventive effect of β-glucan on CUS-induced depression-like behaviors. Further analysis showed that cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB)-mediated increase of BDNF expression in the hippocampus was essential for the prevention of depression-like phenotypes by β-glucan. Pretreatment with minocycline or PLX3397 before β-glucan injection to suppress microglia abolished the preventive effect of β-glucan on impaired CREB-BDNF signaling in the hippocampus and depression-like behaviors in CUS mice. These results suggest that an increase in hippocampal BDNF following CREB activation triggered by β-glucan-induced microglia stimulation and subsequent TrkB signaling mediates the preventive effect of β-glucan on depression. β-Glucan may be a more suitable immunostimulant for the prevention of depression due to its inability to promote pro-inflammatory responses in microglia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, #20 Xisi Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Ruiting Shi
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macau, Av. Parde Tomas Pereira, Macau, Taipa, 999078, China
| | - Xu Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Rongrong Yang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Invasive Technology Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, First People's Hospital of Nantong City, #666 Shengli Road, Nantong 226006, China
| | - Bingran Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenfeng Hu
- Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Nantong University, #399 Shijidadao, Nantong 226007, China
| | - Jie Ren
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Peng
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tao Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haojie Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chao Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nantong University, #19 Qixiu Road, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| |
Collapse
|