Cited by 151Treatment of Major DepressionTryptophan and brain disordersNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 72 of the 72 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 61 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Metformin Promotes Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-Like Responses in Insulin-Resistant Mice by Decreasing Circulating Branched-Chain Amino Acids

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Abstract

Epidemiological studies indicate that insulin resistance (IR), a hallmark of type 2 diabetes, is associated with an increased risk of major depression. Here, we demonstrated that male mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) exhibited peripheral metabolic impairments reminiscent of IR accompanied by elevated circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), whereas both parameters were normalized by chronic treatment with metformin (Met). Given the role of BCAAs in the regulation of tryptophan influx into the brain, we then explored the activity of the serotonin (5-HT) system. Our results indicated that HFD-fed mice displayed impairment in the electrical activity of dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons, attenuated hippocampal extracellular 5-HT concentrations and anxiety, one of the most visible and early symptoms of depression. On the contrary, Met stimulated 5-HT neurons excitability and 5-HT neurotransmission while hindering HFD-induced anxiety. Met also promoted antidepressant-like activities as observed with fluoxetine. In light of these data, we designed a modified HFD in which BCAA dietary supply was reduced by half. Deficiency in BCAAs failed to reverse HFD-induced metabolic impairments while producing antidepressant-like activity and enhancing the behavioral response to fluoxetine. Our results suggest that Met may act by decreasing circulating BCAAs levels to favor serotonergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus and promote antidepressant-like effects in mice fed an HFD. These findings also lead us to envision that a diet poor in BCAAs, provided either alone or as add-on therapy to conventional antidepressant drugs, could help to relieve depressive symptoms in patients with metabolic comorbidities. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Insulin resistance in humans is associated with increased risk of anxiodepressive disorders. Such a relationship has been also found in rodents fed a high-fat diet (HFD). To determine whether insulin-sensitizing strategies induce anxiolytic- and/or antidepressant-like activities and to investigate the underlying mechanisms, we tested the effects of metformin, an oral antidiabetic drug, in mice fed an HFD. Metformin reduced levels of circulating branched-chain amino acids, which regulate tryptophan uptake within the brain. Moreover, metformin increased hippocampal serotonergic neurotransmission while promoting anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. Moreover, a diet poor in these amino acids produced similar beneficial behavioral property. Collectively, these results suggest that metformin could be used as add-on therapy to a conventional antidepressant for the comorbidity between metabolic and mental disorders.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In high-fat-diet-fed insulin-resistant male mice, chronic metformin improved peripheral metabolism, lowered circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), enhanced dorsal raphe serotonin neuron activity and hippocampal serotonin release, and produced anxiolytic/antidepressant-like effects. A half-BCAA diet did not improve glucose metabolism but produced antidepressant-like effects and restored acute fluoxetine response, suggesting BCAAs contribute to the behavioral phenotype.

Key findings

  • HFD-fed mice showed insulin resistance and elevated plasma BCAAs; metformin (300 mg/kg/d for 4 weeks) reduced body weight, fasting glycemia, HOMA-IR, glucose intolerance, and attenuated the BCAA increase (e.g., plasma BCAAs: HFD-Veh vs STD-Veh p=0.0038; HFD-Met vs HFD-Veh p=0.0003).
  • Metformin increased dorsal raphe 5-HT neuron firing rate vs HFD-Veh (p=0.032), increased input resistance and spikes in patch-clamp recordings (p<0.0001), and reversed the blunted phenylephrine response (p=0.0339).
  • Basal ventral hippocampal extracellular 5-HT was decreased in HFD-Veh (p=0.04) and HFD-Met (p=0.03) vs STD-Veh, but acute fluoxetine increased 5-HT overflow in STD-Veh and HFD-Met, not HFD-Veh (p=0.46).
  • Metformin partially reversed HFD-induced anxiety in the elevated plus maze (time p=0.04; entries p=0.09) and novelty suppressed feeding (p=0.015), and reduced tail-suspension immobility (p=0.04); a half-BCAA HFD reduced plasma BCAAs by ~40%, did not improve glucose metabolism, but reduced TST immobility (p=0.021) and restored acute fluoxetine response (p=0.009).

Methods

  • Male C57BL/6J mice (5–7 weeks old) were fed a standard diet, high-fat diet, or half-BCAA HFD for up to 16 weeks; metformin (300 mg/kg/d) or fluoxetine (18 mg/kg/d in Methods; 20 mg/kg in Fig. 6 legend) was given in drinking water for the last 4 weeks.
  • Metabolic measures included intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests, HOMA-IR, and plasma BCAA assay; central measures included in vivo single-unit recordings of dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons, patch-clamp recordings in Pet1-cre-mCherry mice, and intracerebral microdialysis in the ventral hippocampus.
  • Behavioral testing included open field, elevated plus maze, novelty suppressed feeding, tail suspension test, and splash test; analyses used t tests and one-/two-way ANOVAs with post hoc tests, significance p≤0.05.

Limitations

  • The paper states that clinical and preclinical studies are warranted to evaluate metformin or low-BCAA diet as add-on strategies in depressed patients or models without metabolic comorbidities, and notes that antidepressant efficacy in T2D/IR has had few investigations with no consistent conclusions.
  • The paper acknowledges that metformin may act through additional mechanisms, including brain insulin resistance, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, beyond circulating BCAAs.
  • Evident from the text: experiments used only male C57BL/6J mice, so sex and strain generalization is untested; metformin did not reverse the basal hippocampal extracellular 5-HT decrease despite behavioral effects, and some behavioral/metabolic effects were partial or non-significant (e.g., EPM entries p=0.09; insulinemia p=0.13).

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.2904-18.2019

Cites

72 of 72 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • It may state two separate claims as one. 30
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 18
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
44 of 44
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Reducing dietary BCAAs by half lowers brain BCAA levels enough to alter tryptophan uptake and central serotonergic function.

    “Because changes in plasma BCAAs are known to limit tryptophan availability into the brain, we also provided evidence that partial deficiency of BCAAs in diet is sufficient to exert antidepressant-like activity.”
    “we designed a modified HFD in which the BCAA dietary supply was reduced by half.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Any increase in 5-HT release at nerve terminals may be counterbalanced by an active 5-HT reuptake process.

    “we assumed that any increase in 5-HT release at the nerve terminals may be counterbalanced by an active 5-HT reuptake process.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Peripheral insulin resistance is associated with anxiogenic-like response.

    “Peripheral insulin resistance has been associated with anxiogenic-like response, one of the most visible and early symptoms of depression.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Peripheral insulin resistance is responsible for an increase in plasma BCAA levels.

    “This metabolic impairment is also responsible for an increase in plasma BCAA (Val, Leu, Isoleu) levels”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    BCAAs limit tryptophan availability in DR 5-HT neurons due to lower brain penetration across LAT1 expressed on the BBB.

    “which limit tryptophan availability in DR 5-HT neurons due to a lower brain penetration across LAT1 expressed on the BBB.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Such effects impair DR 5-HT neuronal activity and 5-HT release at nerve terminals, leading to despair.

    “Such effects are believed to impair DR 5-HT neuronal activity and 5-HT release at the nerve terminals, thereby leading to despair, another symptom of depression.”
6 of 6

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Metadata

Authors
Zemdegs, J., Martin, H., Pintana, H., Bullich, S., Manta, S., Marqués, M. A., Moro, C., Layé, S., Ducrocq, F., Chattipakorn, N., Chattipakorn, S. C., Rampon, C., Pénicaud, L., Fioramonti, X., & Guiard, B. P.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Université de Bordeaux (FR)
  • Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
  • Chiang Mai University (TH)
  • Université Paris-Sud (FR)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2019-06-03
Volume
39
Issue
30
Pages
5935-5948
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2948900739
Cited by
151
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 3
FWCI
11.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Oskar-Bordeaux (Universite de Bordeaux) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
  • National Science and Technology Development Agency (RTA6080003)
  • Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
  • Royal Golden Jubilee (RGJ) Ph.D. Programme
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
metformin, insulin resistance, branched-chain amino acids, depression, anxiety, serotonin, dorsal raphe neurons, hippocampus, tryptophan metabolism, high-fat diet, antidepressant-like effects, fluoxetine, type 2 diabetes, metabolic comorbidities, dietary amino acid restriction, insulin-sensitizing therapy
MeSH terms
Amino Acids, Branched-Chain, Animals, Antidepressive Agents, Anxiety, Depression, Hypoglycemic Agents, Insulin Resistance, Male, Metformin, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Anti-Anxiety Agents, Mice

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