Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42621255›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pharmacology2026

NDP-MSH rescues LPS-induced neuroinflammation, synaptic deficits, and depressive-like behaviors in mice: involvement of MC1R-cAMP/PKA signaling.

Shanglan Qu, Xin Peng, Jieyu Ji, Ershu He, Le Jiang, Ruixue Ma, Hanwei Li, Yanjiao Li, Lijuan Li, Hui-Yin Yow and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Shanglan QuSchool of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Xin PengSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Jieyu JiSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Ershu HeSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Le JiangSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Ruixue MaSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Hanwei LiSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Yanjiao LiSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Lijuan LiSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
Hui-Yin YowDepartment of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sharina HamzahSchool of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Zhiting GongSchool of Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Inflammatory processes contribute significantly to the pathophysiology of depression. Although the melanocortin system is well known to regulate inflammation, the specific contribution of melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and its endogenous ligand, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), to inflammation-associated depression remains unclear. Methods: Systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration was used to establish an inflammation-associated depression model in mice. Depressive-like behaviors, synaptic functions, and metabolic alterations were evaluated using behavioral tests, patch-clamp recordings, and untargeted metabolomic profiling. To examine the functional involvement of MC1R, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated selective Results: LPS administration induced depressive-like behaviors in mice, accompanied by microglial activation and a significant reduction in MC1R expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Treatment with MC1R endogenous ligand α-MSH mimetic Nle4-DPhe7-α-MSH (NDP-MSH) markedly attenuated LPS-induced depressive-like behaviors, enhanced MC1R, postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), glutamate receptor 1 (GluA1) and protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation. PKA inhibitor H89-mediated inhibition of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway partially but robustly abolishes the behavioral, anti-inflammatory, and synaptic protective effects of NDP-MSH. Additionally, untargeted metabolomics confirmed that NDP-MSH effectively corrected LPS-induced metabolic dysregulation, a therapeutic effect that was robustly suppressed by H89; this metabolic remodeling was closely associated with purine metabolism, pantothenate, and coenzyme A biosynthesis. Critically, AAV-mediated Conclusion: This study highlights MC1R-related signaling in the PFC as an important contributor to inflammation-associated depression and suggests that NDP-MSH alleviates inflammation-associated depressive-like behaviors in association with melanocortin signaling involving MC1R and downstream cAMP/PKA activation.

Indexed as

depressive-like behaviorsMC1RNDP-MSHneuroinflammationsynaptic deficits

Identifiers

PMID42621255
PMCPMC13487505

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