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Published on: May 15, 2019
High-salt diet drives depression-like behavior in mice by inducing IL-17A production
Di Lu1,2, Wenjie Chen1, Wenhui Sun1
1State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, National Vaccine Innovation Platform of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Major depression disorder is a common illness that severely limits psychosocial functioning, affects outcomes of other diseases, and diminishes the quality of life. High-salt diet (HSD) has long been closely associated with the occurrence and development of depression, but whether or how HSD causes depression remains unclear. In this study, HSD induces depression-like behavior in mice accompanied by an increase in IL-17A production. RORγt deficiency abolishes HSD-induced depression-like behavior in mice. Furthermore, γδT17 cells are identified as an important cellular source of IL-17A in mice with HSD-induced depression. Depletion of γδT cells using anti-TCRγδ antibody markedly alleviates depression-like behavior in mice with HSD. Our findings demonstrate that increased dietary salt intake facilitates the development of depression at least partially through the induction of γδT17 cells.
