Gap junction is essential for the antidepressant effects of fluoxetine.

The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology 2023 Apr 17

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Fluoxetine has been used as the first line for the therapy of depression. However, lack of therapeutic efficacy and time lag still limit the application of fluoxetine. Gap junction dysfunction is a potentially novel pathogenic mechanism for depression. To clarify the mechanism underlying these limitations, we investigated whether gap junction was related to the antidepressant effects of fluoxetine. After chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), animals showed decreases in gap junction intracellular communication (GJIC). Treatment with fluoxetine 10 mg/kg significantly improved GJIC and anhedonia of rats until six days. These results indicated that fluoxetine improved gap junction indirectly. Furthermore, to test the role of gap junction on antidepressant effects of fluoxetine, we blocked gap junction using carbenoxolone (CBX) infusion in the prefrontal cortex. CBX dampened fluoxetine-induced decrease in immobility time of mice in tail suspension test (TST). Our study suggested that gap junction dysfunction blocks antidepressant effects of fluoxetine, contributing to understanding the mechanism underlying the time lag of fluoxetine. © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Citation

Cong-Yuan Xia, Ning-Ning Zhang, Hong Jiang, Yu-Xia Lou, Qian Ren, Xiao-Ling Zhang, Peng-Fei Yang, Qian-Hang Shao, Hao-Yu Zhu, Jiang-Fan Wan, Ya-Ni Zhang, Fang-Fang Li, Xu Yan, Shi-Feng Chu, Yi Zhang, Zhen-Zhen Wang, Nai-Hong Chen. Gap junction is essential for the antidepressant effects of fluoxetine. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology. 2023 Apr 17;75(5):686-692