Title:Glia: An Important Target for Anti-Inflammatory and Antidepressant Activity
Volume: 14
Issue: 11
Author(s): Sadayuki Hashioka, Tsuyoshi Miyaoka, Rei Wake, Motohide Furuya and Jun Horiguchi
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Antidepressants, anti-inflammatory effect, astrocyte; cytokine, depression, microglia, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen
species.
Abstract: Activated glial cells are capable of generating various inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, nitric oxide
and reactive oxygen species. These potentially neurotoxic molecules have been suggested to play a role in the etiology
and development of depression. Accumulating evidence indicates that antidepressants have inhibitory effects on inflammatory
activation of glial cells and confer neuroprotection under neuropathological conditions. Such efficacy of antidepressants
appears to depend on suppressing microglial production of inflammatory substances and up-regulating both astrocytic
secretion of neurotrophins and astrocytic glutamine synthase, which converts neurotoxic glutamate into non-toxic
glutamine. Therefore, glial cells, both as source and target of inflammatory molecules, may represent a potential promising
target involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Moreover, antidepressants have the possibility to be useful
treatment, not only for depression, but for a broad spectrum of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders where
the pathogenesis is associated with glial activation.
