Antidepressant effect of teriflunomide via oligodendrocyte protection in a mouse model

Abstract

Addressing the treatment of depression is crucial; nevertheless, the etiology and pathogenesis remain unelucidated. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of teriflunomide (TF) on corticosterone (CORT)-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. Notably, TF administration resulted in a substantial amelioration of anxiety and depression-like behaviors observed in CORT-treated mice. This was evidenced by behavioral assessments conducted via the sucrose preference test (SPT), open-field test (OFT), novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT), forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). The administration of CORT inflicts damage upon oligodendrocytes and neurons within the hippocampus. Our findings indicate that TF offers significant protective effects on oligodendrocytes, mitigating apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, TF was found to counteract the CORT-induced neuronal loss and synaptic damage, as demonstrated by an increase in Nissl-positive cells across hippocampal regions CA1, CA3, and the dentate gyrus (DG) alongside elevated levels of synapse-related proteins including PSD-95 and synaptophysin. Additionally, TF treatment facilitated a reduction in the levels of apoptosis-related proteins while simultaneously augmenting the levels of Bcl2. Our findings indicate that TF administration effectively mitigates CORT-induced depression-like behaviors and reverses damage to oligodendrocytes and neurons in the hippocampus, suggesting TF as a promising candidate for depression.