Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42638996›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in physiology2026

Propofol for depression: mechanisms and therapeutic potential.

Dan Yu, Ye Liao, Jie Li, Aiqiu Zheng, Xin Meng, Shumin Gong, Can Li, Kunwei Wu

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

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

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Dan Yu *Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Ye Liao *Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Jie Li *Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Aiqiu Zheng *Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Xin MengJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Shumin GongJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Can LiDepartment of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Jiangsu International Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Kunwei WuJiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Science, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, School of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Propofol, one of the most widely used intravenous anesthetics, is undergoing a transformative identity shift from a purely surgical agent to a potential therapeutic tool for neuropsychiatric disorders. This review synthesizes current evidence on the emerging field of propofol therapeutics, with a focus on its rapid antidepressant, anti-anhedonia, and anxiolytic effects. We first examine preliminary clinical evidence from open-label studies suggesting that propofol may produce dose-dependent mood-elevating effects in treatment-resistant depression; however, this evidence remains limited by small sample sizes and lack of large controlled trials. Next, we explore putative mechanisms, including GABA

Indexed as

anesthesiadepressiondrug repurposingGABAergic transmissionpropofolrapid antidepressanttreatment-resistant depression

Identifiers

PMID42638996
PMCPMC13501460

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.