Dan Xu - The Consciousness Library

Intestinal γδ T17-IL-17A signaling disrupts hippocampal mitophagy in stress-induced depression and is restored by arketamine.

Journal of Neuroinflammation December 18, 2025 Mengqi Han, Bing Xie, Yuan Yu et al.

Chronic stress precipitates depression, yet how gut-immune-brain interactions translate stress into mood pathology remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that stress-primed small intestinal γδ T cells drive hippocampal mitochondrial dysfunction and depression-like behavior via interleukin-17A (IL-1A). In mice exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS), we combined behavioral assays...

DOI: 10.1186/s12974-025-03656-4 Full text Depression Ketamine Chronic restraint stress Gut-brain axis +2

Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy reduces hypothalamic oxytocin expression and blood levels after oral MDMA administration in male rats.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry March 20, 2025 Yong Yue, Xiayun Wan, Guilin Liu et al. 4 citations

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely recognized entactogen frequently used recreationally. It is known for its interaction with the serotonin and oxytocin systems, which underlie its entactogenic effects in humans. Recently, we demonstrated that the gut-brain axis, mediated by the subdiaphragmatic vagus nerve, contributes to MDMA-induced resilience enhancement in rodents. This...

DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111260 Full text Gut-brain axis Oxytocin Paraventricular nucleus Supraoptic nucleus +4

Repeated intermittent administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine mitigates demyelination in the brain from cuprizone-treated mice.

European Journal of Pharmacology March 15, 2025 Mingming Zhao, Akifumi Eguchi, Rumi Murayama et al. 6 citations

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as a recreational drug, may also offer therapeutic benefits for mental health. Population-based studies suggest that MDMA users have a lower risk of demyelinating diseases, such as depression. Given the role of the gut microbiota in mediating MDMA's effects, we hypothesized that MDMA might confer mental health benefits via the gut-brain...

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177345 Full text MDMA Demyelination Gut microbiota Metabolites +4

Arketamine alleviates cognitive impairments and demyelination in mice with postoperative cognitive dysfunction via TGF-β1 activation.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry January 10, 2025 Ting-Ting Zhu, Ming-Ming Zhao, Dan Xu et al. 5 citations

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is characterized by a decline in cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and executive abilities, following surgery, with no effective therapeutic drugs currently available. Arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, has shown promise in mitigating cognitive deficits in animal models. In this study, we investigated whether arketamine could...

DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111228 Full text Arketamine Demyelination Postoperative cognitive dysfunction Surgery +5

Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on the gut microbiota and metabolites in the small intestine, cecum, and colon of male rats.

Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry January 10, 2025 Dan Xu, Akifumi Eguchi, Rumi Murayama et al. 4 citations

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy) is a widely abused recreational drug that has also gained interest for potential clinical applications in mental health. With the growing recognition of gut microbiota's role in mental health, this study examined whether repeated oral MDMA administration could affect gut microbiota in the small intestine, cecum, and colon of male rats. Repeated...

DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111223 Full text Molly Entactogen Gastrointestinal tract Gut microbiota +6

Effects of arketamine on depression-like behaviors and demyelination in mice exposed to chronic restrain stress: A role of transforming growth factor-β1.

Journal of Affective Disorders December 15, 2024 Dan Xu, Guilin Liu, Mingming Zhao et al. 21 citations

Chronic restrain stress (CRS) induces depression-like behaviors and demyelination in the brain; however, the relationship between these depression-like behaviors and demyelination remains unclear. Arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, has shown rapid antidepressant-like effects in CRS-exposed mice. We examined whether arketamine can improve both depression-like behaviors and demyelination...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.222 Full text Arketamine Depression Antidepressant Chronic stress +6

Transforming growth factor-β1 mediates the beneficial effects of arketamine on demyelination and remyelination in the brains of cuprizone-treated mice.

European Journal of Pharmacology December 15, 2024 Ming-Ming Zhao, Ting-Ting Zhu, Dan Xu et al. 14 citations

The novel antidepressant arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, has been shown to ameliorate demyelination and facilitate remyelination in the brains of cuprizone (CPZ)-treated mice. However, the mechanisms behind its effects remain unclear. Given the role of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) in arketamine's antidepressant-like effects, we examined whether TGF-β1 also plays a role in...

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.177096 Full text Arketamine Cuprizone Demyelination Remyelination +5

Splenic γδ T cells mediate antidepressant and prophylactic actions of arketamine in lipopolysaccharide-induced depression in mice.

Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior December 1, 2024 Guilin Liu, Li Ma, Akemi Sakamoto et al. 4 citations

Arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, exhibits both therapeutic and sustained prophylactic effects in an inflammation-driven model of depression, although the precise mechanisms remain elusive. Given the involvement of γδ T cells in inflammatory processes, this study explored their role in the effects of arketamine. To assess therapeutic outcomes, mice received lipopolysaccharide (LPS:1.0...

DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173906 Full text Arketamine Prophylactic Spleen Antidepressants antidepressant medication +8

Prophylactic effects of arketamine, but not hallucinogenic psychedelic DOI nor non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analog lisuride, in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice and mice exposed to chronic restrain stress.

Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior December 1, 2023 Guilin Liu, Li Ma, Youge Qu et al. 16 citations

Anesthetic ketamine and classical psychedelics that act as 5-hydroxytryptamine-2A receptor (5-HT2AR) agonists demonstrated rapid and sustained antidepressant actions in patients with treatment-resistant depression. The new antidepressant arketamine is reported to cause long-lasting prophylactic effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice and mice exposed to chronic restrain stress (CRS)....

DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173659 Full text Arketamine Chronic stress Inflammation Prophylactic +1

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