Ketamine Produces Antidepressant Effects by Inhibiting Histone Deacetylases and Upregulating Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in a Diisopropyl Fluorophosphate–Based Rat Model of Gulf War Illness

Abstract

Approximately one-third of Gulf War veterans suffer from Gulf War Illness (GWI), which encompasses mood disorders and depressive symptoms. Deployment-related exposure to organophosphate compounds has been associated with GWI development. Epigenetic modifications have been reported in GWI veterans. We previously showed that epigenetic histone dysregulations were associated with decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in a GWI rat model. GWI has no effective therapies. Ketamine (KET) has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for therapy-resistant depression. Interestingly, BDNF upregulation underlies KET’s antidepressant effect in GWI-related depression. Here, we investigated whether KET’s effect on histone mechanisms signals BDNF upregulations in GWI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected once daily with diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP; 0.5 mg/kg, s.c., 5 days). At 6 months following DFP exposure, KET (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected, and brains were dissected 24 hours later. Western blotting was used for protein expression, and epigenetic studies used chromatin immunoprecipitation methods. Dil staining was conducted for assessing dendritic spines. Our results indicated that an antidepressant dose of KET inhibited the upregulation of histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes in DFP rats. Furthermore, KET restored acetylated histone occupancy at the Bdnf promoter IV and induced BDNF protein expression in DFP rats. Finally, KET treatment also increased the spine density and altered the spine diversity with increased T-type and decreased S-type spines in DFP rats. Given these findings, we propose that KET’s actions involve the inhibition of HDAC expression, upregulation of BDNF, and dendritic modifications that together ameliorates the pathologic synaptic plasticity and exerts an antidepressant effect in DFP rats. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study offers evidence supporting the involvement of epigenetic histone pathways in the antidepressant effects of ketamine (KET) in a rat model of Gulf War Illness (GWI)-like depression. This effect is achieved through the modulation of histone acetylation at the Bdnf promoter, resulting in elevated brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and subsequent dendritic remodeling in the hippocampus. These findings underscore the rationale for considering KET as a potential candidate for clinical trials aimed at managing GWI-related depression.

NMDA Receptors Control Activity Hierarchy in Neural Network: Loss of Control in Hierarchy Leads to Learning Impairments, Dissociation, and Psychosis

“…The mechanisms of action of ketamine as a fast anti-depressant are not fully understood. Numerous studies have contributed to generating a variety of explanations [39][40][41][42][72][73][74][75] . This study presents a novel mechanistic insight into the therapeutic actions of ketamine in combating major depression: by blocking NMDARs and disrupting the existing neural activity hierarchy in the brain, ketamine and other NMDAR blockers may serve as a "circuit switcher" that reshuffles the ensemble of primed neurons, which consequently interferes with neural information flow in the brain.…”

Progress and Challenges in Developing Medical Countermeasures for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Threat Agents

“…BDNF is a key factor in the antidepressant effect of ketamine, a drug recently approved by the FDA for therapy-resistant depression. To investigate whether ketamine’s antidepressant effects in GWI are mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, Deshpande and team conducted a study ( Ribeiro-Davis et al, 2024 ). Their findings show that the antidepressant effects of ketamine in GWI-like depression involve the inhibition of HDAC expression, upregulation of BDNF, and dendritic modifications.…”

Special Section on Medical Countermeasures, From Bench to Battlefield: Translating Experimental Therapies for Effective Combat Against Chemical Threats–Editorial

“…The third paper identifies aminopyridines as MCs for protecting against botulism (McClintic et al, 2024). The final paper identifies the potential use of ketamine for treating Gulf War illness-related neuropsychiatric dysfunction (Ribeiro-Davis et al, 2024).…”