Effects of esketamine and fluoxetine on depression-like behaviors in chronic variable stress: a role of plasma inflammatory factors.
Frontiers in Psychiatry January 1, 2024 Haixia Chen, Xinxin Zhao, Xinxu Ma et al. 9 citations
A single dose of esketamine rapidly alleviated depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice exposed to chronic variable stress, an effect comparable to seven days of repeated fluoxetine treatment. The stress protocol increased plasma levels of multiple inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, TNFα, IL-4, IL-9, IL-24, IL-37, IFN-β, and CXCL12) and decreased IL-10 and IL-33. Both esketamine and fluoxetine partially normalized these inflammatory disturbances. The findings suggest that esketamine's rapid antidepressant action may involve normalizing inflammatory cytokine expression.