Cited by 153Tryptophan and brain disordersTreatment of Major DepressionGut microbiota and health

Minocycline alters behavior, microglia and the gut microbiome in a trait-anxiety-dependent manner

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Schmidtner, Anna K., Slattery, David A., Gläsner, Joachim, Hiergeist, Andreas, Gryksa, Katharina, Malik, Victoria A., Hellmann-Regen, Julian, Heuser, Isabella +5 more·2019·Translational Psychiatry

Abstract

Major depressive disorder is the main cause of disability worldwide with imperfect treatment options. However, novel therapeutic approaches are currently discussed, from augmentation strategies to novel treatments targeting the immune system or the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Therefore, we examined the potential beneficial effects of minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic with pleiotropic, immunomodulatory action, alone or as augmentation of escitalopram on behavior, prefrontal microglial density, and the gut microbiome in rats selectively bred for high anxiety-like behavior (HAB). We show that concomitant with their high innate anxiety and depression, HABs have lower microglial numbers in the infralimbic and prelimbic prefrontal cortex and an altered gut microbiota composition compared with controls. Three weeks of minocycline treatment alleviated the depressive-like phenotype, further reduced microglial density, exclusively in male HAB rats, and reduced plasma concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, coadministration of escitalopram, which had no effect alone, prevented these minocycline-induced effects. Moreover, minocycline led to a robust shift in cecal microbial composition in both HABs and rats non-selected for anxiety-like behavior. Minocycline markedly increased relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Clostridiales Family XIII, families known for their butyrate production, with a corresponding increase and positive correlation in plasma 3-OH-butyrate levels in a trait-dependent manner. Thus, our data suggest that the antidepressant effect of minocycline is sex- and trait-dependent, associated with a reduced microglial number in the prefrontal cortex, and with changes in microbial composition and their metabolites. These results further support the microbiome-gut–brain axis as potential target in the treatment of depression.

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  • In animals, minocycline reduces microglial activation in prefrontal cortex and depression- and anxiety-like behaviors.

    “minocycline decreases microglial activation in the PFC and depressive and anxiety-like traits in animals (293)”

    From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [293]

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Authors
Schmidtner, A. K., Slattery, D. A., Gläsner, J., Hiergeist, A., Gryksa, K., Malik, V. A., Hellmann-Regen, J., Heuser, I., Baghai, T. C., Gessner, A., Rupprecht, R., Di Benedetto, B., & Neumann, I. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Regensburg (DE)
  • Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
  • University Hospital Regensburg (DE)
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
Corresponding author
Schmidtner, Anna K.
Venue
Translational Psychiatry
Published
2019-09-13
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
223-223
ISSN
2158-3188 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2972689719
Cited by
153
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 20
FWCI
6.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Translational Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Regensburg Publication Server (University of Regensburg)
Funders
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01EE1401F, 01EE1401B)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
Keywords
minocycline, major depressive disorder, trait anxiety, gut microbiota, microbiome-gut-brain axis, microglia, prefrontal cortex, escitalopram, antidepressant augmentation, sex differences, butyrate, Lachnospiraceae, inflammatory cytokines, anxiety-like behavior, rats
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Animals, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Anxiety, Behavior, Animal, Cecum, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Male, Minocycline, Treatment Outcome, Rats, Wistar, Prefrontal Cortex, Microglia, Rats

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