Somatic Drugs for Psychiatric Diseases: Aspirin or Simvastatin for Depression?

Abstract

The evolution in the understanding of the neurobiology of most prevalent mental disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder or schizophrenia has not gone hand in hand with the synthesis and clinical use of new drugs that would represent a therapeutic revolution such as that brought about by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or atypical antipsychotics. Although scientists are still a long way from understanding its true aetiology, the neurobiological concept of depression has evolved from receptor regulation disorder, to a neurodegenerative disorder with a hippocampal volume decrease with the controversial reduction in neurotrophins such as BDNF, to current hypotheses that consider depression to be an inflammatory and neuroprogressive process. As regards antidepressants, although researchers are still far from knowing their true mechanism of action, they have gone from monoaminergic hypotheses, in which serotonin was the main protagonist, to emphasising the anti-inflammatory action of some of these drugs, or the participation of p11 protein in their mechanism of action.In the same way, according to the inflammatory hypothesis of depression, it has been proposed that some NSAIDS such as aspirin or drugs like simvastatin that have an anti-inflammatory action could be useful in some depressive patients. Despite the fact that there may be some data to support their clinical use, common sense and the evidence advise us to use already tested protocols and wait for the future to undertake new therapeutic strategies.

Beneficial effect of aspirin against interferon‐α‐2b—induced depressive behavior in Sprague Dawley rats

“…The brain serotonin levels were raised when compared with the interferon treatment group. These findings are in line with the observations seen in previous studies which focus on the beneficial effect of aspirin in affective disorders …”

Antidepressant-like effect of simvastatin in diabetic rats

“…Several lines of evidence have suggested that the neurotransmitter 5-HT is involved in the pathophysiology or pathogenesis of major depressive disorders, and that noradrenergic or dopaminergic dysfunction would have a secondary role (Rahola 2012).…”

Aspirin Promotes Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell Proliferation and Differentiation after White Matter Lesion

“…It is known that depression is always accompanied with cognitive impairment (Richard et al, 2013 ). In a previous study, some NSAIDS such as aspirin or drugs like simvastatin that have an anti-inflammatory action could be useful in some depressive patients (Rahola, 2012 ). Furthermore, it was shown that aspirin could decrease the risk of depression in older men with high plasma homocysteine (Almeida et al, 2012 ).…”