Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis01:30

Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Influence of surface characteristics on the in vitro stability and cell uptake of nanoliposomes for brain delivery.

Beilstein journal of nanotechnology·2026
Same author

Oral Treatment of Obesity by GLP-1 and Its Analogs.

Pharmaceutics·2025
Same author

Gender transition and intellectual developmental disorders: a case report.

Sexual medicine·2025
Same author

Optimizing microRNA delivery via albumin-decorated nanostructured lipid carriers.

International journal of pharmaceutics: X·2025
Same author

Novel development of lipid-based formulations: Improved wettability and homogeneous API solid dispersion visualised via near-infrared hyperspectral imaging.

European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V·2025
Same author

Ablation of hypothalamic Cnr1 leads to reduced meniscal mineral volume and articular cartilage damage in aging male mice.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Applying Stereotactic Injection Technique to Study Genetic Effects on Animal Behaviors
07:54

Applying Stereotactic Injection Technique to Study Genetic Effects on Animal Behaviors

Published on: May 10, 2015

Pegylated human interferon alpha 2a does not induce depression-associated changes in mice.

Markus Kosel1, Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, Rainer Zawatzky

  • 1Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Psychiatry Research
|June 29, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Interferon (IFN) alpha administration did not induce depression-like behaviors in mice. High doses of pegylated IFN alpha 2a failed to cause despair or anhedonia, likely because it did not activate the mouse IFN receptor.

More Related Videos

A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice
05:28

A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice

Published on: May 15, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Applying Stereotactic Injection Technique to Study Genetic Effects on Animal Behaviors
07:54

Applying Stereotactic Injection Technique to Study Genetic Effects on Animal Behaviors

Published on: May 10, 2015

A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice
05:28

A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice

Published on: May 15, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Interferon (IFN) alpha proteins are proinflammatory cytokines with antiviral and immunomodulating effects.
  • Cytokine activation, such as during viral infections or IFN alpha therapy, is linked to depression-like symptoms, supporting the 'cytokine hypothesis of depression'.
  • Previous studies on the role of IFN alpha in depression pathogenesis have yielded contradictory results.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if high doses of pegylated, recombinant human IFN alpha 2a induce depression-associated changes in mice.
  • To assess the effects of IFN alpha on behavior (despair, anhedonia) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system.
  • To examine potential IFN-induced gene expression changes in the liver.

Main Methods:

  • Administration of high-dose pegylated, recombinant human IFN alpha 2a (up to 600 µg/kg) intraperitoneally in mice.
  • Behavioral assessment using the Porsolt swim test (despair) and sucrose preference test (anhedonia).
  • Evaluation of HPA system sensitivity via the dexamethasone suppression test and assessment of liver gene expression.

Main Results:

  • No depression-associated effects were observed in any of the tested readouts.
  • High serum levels of IFN-induced antiviral activity were detected, comparable to those in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients treated with IFN alpha.
  • Pegylated human recombinant IFN alpha 2a did not activate the murine class I IFN receptor, which may explain the lack of observed effects.

Conclusions:

  • The study did not find evidence supporting the use of recombinant pegylated human IFN alpha administration in mice as a robust model for depression.
  • The lack of depression-like effects is likely due to the inability of human IFN alpha 2a to activate the murine IFN receptor.
  • These findings do not support the 'cytokine hypothesis of depression' in the context of this specific experimental model.