5-HTT independent effects of fluoxetine on neuroplasticity.

Marion J F Levy, Fabien Boulle, Michel Boris Emerit, Corinne Poilbout, Harry W M Steinbusch, Daniel L A Van den Hove, Gunter Kenis, Laurence Lanfumey

Scientific reports 2019 Apr 19

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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are among the most prescribed antidepressants. Fluoxetine is the lead molecule which exerts its therapeutic effects, at least in part, by promoting neuroplasticity through increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related receptor kinase B (TrkB) signalling. It is unclear however, to which extent the neuroplastic effects of fluoxetine are solely mediated by the inhibition of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT). To answer this question, the effects of fluoxetine on neuroplasticity were analysed in both wild type (WT) and 5-Htt knock-out (KO) mice. Using Western blotting and RT-qPCR approaches, we showed that fluoxetine 10 µM activated BDNF/TrkB signalling pathways in both CD1 and C57BL/6J mouse primary cortical neurons. Interestingly, effects on BDNF signalling were observed in primary cortical neurons from both 5-Htt WT and KO mice. In addition, a 3-week in vivo fluoxetine treatment (15 mg/kg/d; i.p.) increased the expression of plasticity genes in brains of both 5-Htt WT and KO mice, and tended to equally enhance hippocampal cell proliferation in both genotypes, without reaching significance. Our results further suggest that fluoxetine-induced neuroplasticity does not solely depend on 5-HTT blockade, but might rely, at least in part, on 5-HTT-independent direct activation of TrkB.

Citation

Marion J F Levy, Fabien Boulle, Michel Boris Emerit, Corinne Poilbout, Harry W M Steinbusch, Daniel L A Van den Hove, Gunter Kenis, Laurence Lanfumey. 5-HTT independent effects of fluoxetine on neuroplasticity. Scientific reports. 2019 Apr 19;9(1):6311