Introduction: The interleukin-6/janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL-6/JAK2/STAT3) pathway plays an important role in immune function, but little research has focused on this pathway in depression. We sought to examine the relationship between the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway and depressive-like behavior. Methods: Using a chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm, a total of 36 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four matched groups: (1) control + vehicle, (2) CMS + vehicle, (3) control + paroxetine, and (4) CMS + paroxetine. We investigated the effects of CMS on depressive-like behavior by using the forced swimming test (FST). Subsequently, the mRNA levels of members of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway were assessed by qRT-PCR. Results: We found that rats exposed to CMS displayed a significant increase in immobility time and a decrease in climbing time in the FST. Moreover, mRNA levels of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 in the hypothalamus were increased following CMS. We also found that mRNA levels of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 were normalized by paroxetine administration, which coincided with normalization of the depressive-like behavior. Conclusions: The IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway may be activated in depression, and targeting this pathway may provide a novel effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of depression.
Neuropsychobiology

中文翻译：

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下丘脑 IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 通路可能参与慢性轻度应激大鼠的抑郁样行为

简介：白细胞介素 6/janus 激酶 2/信号转导和转录激活因子 3 (IL-6/JAK2/STAT3) 通路在免疫功能中起重要作用，但很少有研究关注抑郁症中的这一通路。我们试图检查 IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 通路与抑郁样行为之间的关系。方法：使用慢性轻度应激（CMS）范式，将总共 36 只成年雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠分为四个匹配组：（1）对照 + 载体，（2）CMS + 载体，（3）对照 + 帕罗西汀， (4) CMS + 帕罗西汀。我们通过使用强迫游泳测试 (FST) 研究了 CMS 对抑郁样行为的影响。随后，通过 qRT-PCR 评估 IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 通路成员的 mRNA 水平。结果：我们发现暴露于 CMS 的大鼠在 FST 中表现出不动时间显着增加和攀爬时间减少。此外，CMS 后下丘脑中 IL-6、JAK2 和 STAT3 的 mRNA 水平增加。我们还发现，IL-6、JAK2 和 STAT3 的 mRNA 水平通过帕罗西汀给药而正常化，这与抑郁样行为的正常化相吻合。结论： IL-6/JAK2/STAT3通路可能在抑郁症中被激活，靶向该通路可能为抑郁症的治疗提供一种新的有效治疗途径。
神经心理生物学