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Published on: October 24, 2018
Simvastatin treatment exerts antidepressant-like effect in rats exposed to chronic mild stress
Pao-Yen Lin1, Alice Y W Chang2, Tsu-Kung Lin3
1Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Insights
Simvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug, demonstrated antidepressant-like effects in a rat model of depression. This suggests statins may offer benefits beyond lipid management for mental health.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Hyperlipidemia increases risks for cardiovascular disease and stroke, which are linked to late-life depression.
- Statins are commonly prescribed for cholesterol reduction and have been anecdotally linked to reduced anxiety and depression.
- The specific antidepressant properties of statins warrant further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential antidepressant-like effects of statins.
- To evaluate simvastatin's efficacy in a rat model of chronic mild stress (CMS).
Main Methods:
- Rats were exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS) for 4 weeks to induce a depressive-like state.
- Behavioral assessments included the forced swim test and sucrose preference test.
- Simvastatin (5 or 10mg/kg/day) or imipramine (10mg/kg/day) was administered for 14 days.
Main Results:
- CMS exposure induced depressive-like behaviors in rats, confirmed by forced swim and sucrose preference tests.
- Simvastatin treatment significantly reversed CMS-induced depressive-like behaviors.
- The effects of simvastatin were comparable to the established antidepressant imipramine.
- Locomotor activity and anxiety levels remained unaffected by CMS or simvastatin treatment.
Conclusions:
- Simvastatin exhibits significant antidepressant-like effects in a rat model of chronic mild stress.
- These findings suggest that statins may possess therapeutic potential for facilitating antidepressant treatment.
- Further clinical research is warranted to explore statins as an adjunct therapy for depression.
Abstract:
Hyperlipidemia is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease and stroke, both of which, in turn, are risk factors of old-age depression. Statins are extensively used for decreasing cholesterol levels. Clinical investigations revealed that long-term use of statins appeared to be associated with a lower risk of anxiety and depression. However, the antidepressant property of statins has not been well examined. This study aimed at examining the antidepressant-like effects of statins in rats exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS). We found that animals exposed to CMS for 4 weeks developed depressive-like state, shown by forced swim test and sucrose preference test. However, these CMS-induced behavioral changes were reversed by simvastatin (5 or 10mg/kg/day) for 14 days, comparable to imipramine (10mg/kg/day) treatment. Locomotor activity and anxiety-like behaviors were not altered by CMS or these treatments. These results demonstrated antidepressant-like effects of statin in CMS model of rats and suggested the potential that statins could be used to facilitate antidepressant treatment in clinical setting.
