Temporal Immune Effects of Oral Ketamine on PTSD: Transcriptomic Evidence of Short-Term Inflammation Suppression and Long-Term Immune Remodelling

A six-week course of oral ketamine produced substantial and persistent changes in gene expression in 23 people with PTSD. Short-term effects included suppression of inflammation and antimicrobial activity; long-term effects shifted toward sustained immune regulation, inflammation remodulation, and tissue repair. Over four weeks, the number of genes whose activity changed rose by 37%, the magnitude of expression changes increased 6.5-fold, and pathway activity strengthened 8.8-fold. Key immune and inflammatory pathways modulated included interferon alpha/beta signaling, IL-17 signaling, cytokine storm signaling, neutrophil degranulation, and antimicrobial peptide signaling. Central regulators such as IL-6, IL-1β, IFI27, IL-10, CXCL8, SOCS1/3, and CAMP were implicated. These molecular changes point to mechanisms underlying ketamine's long-term therapeutic effects and suggest avenues for personalized maintenance therapy to prevent relapse.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Ketamine’s rapid acting symptom relief make it a promising intervention for PTSD. However, the mechanisms driving its long-term efficacy over weeks and months remain poorly understood. This study investigated the short-and long-term impacts on gene expression of a six-week subanesthetic oral ketamine trial in 23 PTSD participants (9 males, 14 females). Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) were collected at baseline, one week (short-term), and four weeks (long-term) post oral ketamine for RNA sequencing and transcriptome analysis. Differential expression analysis identified substantial and persistent transcriptomic changes over time, with 533 genes upregulated and 621 downregulated across timepoints. Notably, there was a 37% increase in differential gene expression between the short-and long-term responses, accompanied by a 6.5-fold rise in expression magnitude and an 8.8-fold enhancement in pathway activity. Pathway analysis emphasised critical immune and inflammatory pathways that appear to be modulated by ketamine, including interferon alpha/beta signalling (z = 4), IL-17 signalling pathway (z = 3.36), and cytokine storm signalling (z = 4.26), neutrophil degranulation (z = 6.0) and antimicrobial peptide signalling (z = 1.63) which differed across timepoints. The findings suggest a transition from short-term inflammation suppression and antimicrobial activity to long-term sustained immune regulation, inflammation remodulation and tissue repair. Key cytokines, chemokines, interferons and antimicrobial peptides included, IL-6, IL-1β, IFI27, IL-10 signalling, CXCL8, SOCS1/3 and CAMP which represent central regulators of immune and inflammatory pathways. These molecular changes offer novel insights into the short-and long-term therapeutic potential of ketamine for PTSD and highlight avenues for precision psychiatry and individualised maintenance therapy to prevent relapse.