Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Reveals an Association between Brain Iron Load and Depression Severity.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Aug 29;11:442.
doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00442. eCollection 2017.
Yao S1, Zhong Y2, Xu Y3, Qin J1, Zhang N1, Zhu X4, Li Y1.

Abstract
Previous studies have detected abnormal serum ferritin levels in patients with depression; however, the results have been inconsistent. This study used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for the first time to examine brain iron concentration in
depressed patients and evaluated whether it is related to severity. We included three groups of age- and gender-matched participants: 30 patients with mild-moderate depression (MD), 14 patients with major depression disorder (MDD) and 20 control subjects.
All participants underwent MR scans with a 3D gradient-echo sequence reconstructing for QSM and performed the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) test. In MDD, the susceptibility value in the bilateral putamen was significantly increased
compared with MD or control subjects. In addition, a significant difference was also observed in the left thalamus in MDD patients compared with controls. However, the susceptibility values did not differ between MD patients and controls. The
susceptibility values positively correlated with the severity of depression as indicated by the HDRS scores. Our results provide evidence that brain iron deposition may be associated with depression and may even be a biomarker for investigating the
pathophysiological mechanism of depression.

KEYWORDS:
depression; iron; putamen; quantitative susceptibility mapping; thalamus
PMID: 28900391 PMCID: PMC5581806 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00442

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Allicin attenuated chronic social defeat stress induced depressive-like behaviors through suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome.
Gao W1, Wang W1, Liu G2, Zhang J1, Yang J3, Deng Z4.
Metab Brain Dis. 2018 Dec 4. doi: 10.1007/s11011-018-0342-z.

Abstract
Allicin, one of the main biologically active compounds derived from garlic, was previously reported to possess multiple pharmacological activities. Whether allicin protected against chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) induced depressive-like behaviors
remained unknown. Thus, our present study for the first time investigated the potential antidepressant effects and the mechanisms of allicin on the CSDS mice model. Thirty minutes before social defeat stress, allicin (2, 10, 50 mg/kg) was treated by
intraperitoneal injection. The duration times of CSDS model establishment and allicin intervene were 10 days. Subsequently, the force swimming test (FST), social interaction test (SIT), and sucrose preference test (SPT) were applied for behavioral
assessments. The levels of inflammation mediators were determined by commercial ELISA kits. The concentration of iron was tested, and relative protein expressions were measured by western blot. Oxidative stress and apoptosis markers were also detected by
commercial kits and western blot. The behavioral defects induced by social defeat stress were obviously improved by allicin. Microglia activation, as well as inflammatory cytokines elevation in the hippocampus of CSDS also down-regulated by
administration of allicin. Furthermore, content of iron and protein expressions of key components in iron metabolism were remarkably aberrant changed in the CSDS mice hippocampus, meanwhile, allicin ameliorated this phenomenon. Allicin decreased the
production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein carbonyl, and the protein expression of NOX4, as well as up-regulated the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. In addition, allicin attenuated the
enhanced neuronal apoptosis. Finally, allicin supplementation inhibited the Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome hyperactivity, and the expressions of inflammasome components, such as ACS, caspase-1, and IL-1β in
the hippocampus of CSDS mice. Allicin attenuated depressive-like behaviors of CSDS mice through reducing neuroinflammation, ameliorating iron abnromal accumulation, balacing oxidative stress, and attenuation neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus via
suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome.

KEYWORDS:
Allicin; Chronic social defeat stress; Depressive-like behavior; Iron homeostasis; NLRP3; Neuroinflammation

PMID: 30515710 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-018-0342-z

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