title: Glia: an important target for anti-inflammatory and antidepressant activity.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo, Shimane, 693-8501, Japan. hashioka@f2.dion.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Sadayuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashioka
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyaoka
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wake
authors.forename: Motohide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase