Many people around the world, including India, take antidepressants to overcome depression, but a study claims that it can be useful in other problems as well.
Antidepressants For Infections and Sepsis: Antidepressants are commonly used to treat mental health disorders, however new research has shown their potential to prevent serious infections and life-threatening sepsis. Scientists at the Salk Institute showed that antidepressants can regulate the immune system and prevent infectious diseases. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, could pave the way for a new generation of life-saving treatments and enhance global preparedness for future pandemics.
This drug works
The team found that the antidepressant Prozac, also known as fluoxetine, can protect tissue and organs while killing bacteria or viruses. "It's essentially playing both offense and defense, which is ideal and particularly exciting to see in a drug that we already know is safe to use in humans," said Janelle Ayres, a professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Research done on mice
In this study, researchers studied mice with bacterial infection and divided them into 2 categories: one pre-treated with fluoxetine and the other without it. They found that mice pre-treated with fluoxetine were protected from sepsis, multi-organ damage, and death. In further tests, the number of bacteria in each mouse population was measured 8 hours after infection.
Attack on bacteria
Treatment with fluoxetine resulted in fewer bacteria, indicating a less severe infection. The findings showed that fluoxetine had antimicrobial properties, which allowed it to limit bacterial growth. Next, the researchers measured the levels of different inflammatory molecules in each group.
They observed more anti-inflammatory IL-10 in their previously treated population and speculated that IL-10 prevented sepsis-induced hypertriglyceridemia, a condition in which there are too many fatty triglycerides in the blood. This enabled the heart to maintain a proper metabolic state, protecting the mice from infection-induced morbidity and mortality. The team found that fluoxetine could kill pathogens and also reduce infection-induced damage to the body.
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