Deltamethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, could be a potential antidepressant agent

Antidepressants, including tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors, are the main biological treatment for major depression. However, not all depressed patients improve clinically despite appropriate treatment. Thus, the exploration of novel antidepressants with novel mechanisms of action may help to develop more effective agents. Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide that is a widely used and has a low acute toxicity in mammals. Recent studies in vivo and in vitro have shown that the inducible effect of deltamethrin on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression is very potent and tends to be sustained. With recent evidence that the activation of the BDNF-dependent pathway plays an important role in the mechanism of antidepressant therapeutic action, deltamethrin or derivatives thereof could have potential antidepressant therapeutic effects. Further evaluation of the therapeutic and toxic effects of this drug in animal models is needed before clinical trials can begin.