Gut Microbiota in Depression: A Focus on Ketamine
Alina Wilkowska, Łukasz P. Szałach, Wiesław Jerzy Cubała
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience June 23, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.693362 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression Esketamine Ketamine |
| Citations | 32 |
| Key findings | Ketamine's antidepressant effect may be partially mediated by modification of gut microbiota, but evidence from animal models remains preliminary and insufficient for firm conclusions. |
Abstract
According to the WHO, major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and it is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. The pathophysiology of this common and chronic disease is still not completely understood. The gut microbiome is an increasingly recognized environmental factor that can have a role in depression, acting through the gut–microbiota–brain axis. The available treatment for depression is still insufficient since 30% of patients are treatment-resistant. There is an unquestionable need for novel strategies. Ketamine is an effective antidepressant in treatment-resistant patients. It is suggested that the antidepressant effect of ketamine may be partially mediated by the modification of gut microbiota. In this study, we presented a review of data on gut microbiota in depression with special attention to the effect of ketamine on the microbiome in animal models of depression. Earlier reports are preliminary and are still insufficient to draw firm conclusion, but further studies in this field might help to understand the role of the gut–brain axis in the treatment of depression and might be the ground for developing new effective treatment strategies.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Ketamine: a paradigm shift for depression research and treatment | 2019 | Review | |
| Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective | 2019 | Review | |
| Ketamine: A tale of two enantiomers | 2020 | Review | |
| Molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant actions of arketamine: beyond the NMDA receptor | 2021 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Ketamine and its two enantiomers in anesthesiology and psychiatry: A historical review and future directions Journal of Anesthesia and Translational Medicine July 11, 2024
- Exploring the multifaceted potential of (R)-ketamine beyond antidepressant applications. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024
- Mining literature and pathway data to explore the relations of ketamine with neurotransmitters and gut microbiota using a knowledge-graph Bioinformatics December 25, 2023
- Baseline monocyte count predicts symptom improvement during intravenous ketamine therapy in treatment-resistant depression: a single-arm open-label observational study. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024
- Psychedelic Drugs in Mental Disorders: Current Clinical Scope and Deep Learning‐Based Advanced Perspectives Advanced Science March 20, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 8
- R-ketamine: a rapid-onset and sustained antidepressant without psychotomimetic side effects Translational Psychiatry September 1, 2015
- Possible role of the gut microbiota–brain axis in the antidepressant effects of (R)-ketamine in a social defeat stress model Translational Psychiatry December 15, 2017
- Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Translational Psychiatry March 21, 2017
- Comparison of (R)-ketamine and lanicemine on depression-like phenotype and abnormal composition of gut microbiota in a social defeat stress model Scientific Reports November 10, 2017
- Ketamine in Bipolar Disorder: A Review Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment November 1, 2020
and 3 more in the library