Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
March 20, 2025
Yong Yue, Xiayun Wan, Guilin Liu et al.
4 citations
The gut-brain axis, specifically the subdiaphragmatic vagus nerve, is critical for MDMA's effects on the oxytocin system in rats. Cutting this nerve (subdiaphragmatic vagotomy) lowered baseline oxytocin levels in the blood and reduced oxytocin expression in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. It also dampened MDMA-induced increases in blood oxytocin and the expression of oxytocin and c-Fos in those brain regions. The findings suggest the vagus nerve mediates brain-body communication that underlies MDMA's pharmacological actions on oxytocin.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
December 1, 2024
Guilin Liu, Li Ma, Akemi Sakamoto et al.
4 citations
A single dose of arketamine, the (R)-enantiomer of ketamine, reduced depression-like behavior and inflammation in mice given lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial toxin that triggers an immune response. Arketamine also prevented these effects when given six days before LPS. LPS lowered the proportion of γδ T cells in the spleen, and arketamine reversed this change and reduced spleen enlargement and interleukin-6 levels. Blocking γδ T cells with an antibody eliminated arketamine's benefits, suggesting these immune cells are essential for its effects. The findings indicate splenic γδ T cells may be a new target for treating inflammation-related depression.
Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology
May 31, 2026
Yong Yue, Yi Cai, Rumi Murayama et al.
Gut bacteria contribute to baseline central oxytocin signaling in rats, but are not necessary for the acute oxytocin release triggered by MDMA. Male rats given broad-spectrum antibiotics for seven days showed enlarged ceca, confirming microbiome disruption, yet maintained stable body weight. Baseline oxytocin expression in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus was significantly reduced after antibiotic treatment, while peripheral oxytocin levels remained unchanged. MDMA administration increased central oxytocin expression similarly in both antibiotic-treated and control rats, and MDMA-induced peripheral oxytocin levels also did not differ between groups. The findings indicate that gut microbiota help maintain central oxytocin under normal conditions but are not required for MDMA's oxytocin-activating effects.