Treatment of Male Rats with Finasteride, an Inhibitor of 5alpha-Reductase Enzyme, Induces Long-Lasting Effects on Depressive-Like Behavior, Hippocampal Neurogenesis, Neuroinflammation, and Gut Microbiota Composition

    September 2018 in “ Psychoneuroendocrinology ”
    Silvia Diviccaro, Silvia Giatti, Francesca Borgo, Matteo Barcella, Elisa Borghi, José Luis Trejo, Luis M. Garcia-Segura, Roberto Cosimo Melcangi
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    TLDR Finasteride treatment in male rats causes long-lasting effects on depression-like behavior, brain cell growth, inflammation, and gut bacteria composition.
    A study on male rats found that treatment with finasteride, an inhibitor of the 5alpha-reductase enzyme, led to long-lasting effects on depressive-like behavior, hippocampal neurogenesis, neuroinflammation, and gut microbiota composition. The treatment increased the number of GFAP immunoreactive astrocytes and the levels of TNF-a, a proinflammatory cytokine, which may contribute to long-term depressive-like behavior. Additionally, the treatment affected the gut microbiota, with an increase in Bacteroidetes phylum and Prevotellaceae family, and a decrease in Ruminococcaceae family, Oscillospira, and Lachnospira genus. The study suggests that changes in plasma neuroactive steroid levels caused by 5a-R inhibition in male rats are responsible for the gut microbiota modulation observed.
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