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Comparing the Effect of Fluoxetine, Escitalopram, and Sertraline, on the Level of Bdnf and Depression in Preclinical and Clinical Studies: A Systematic Review Publisher



Talaee N1 ; Azadvar S2 ; Khodadadi S3 ; Abbasi N4 ; Aslipashaki ZN5 ; Mirabzadeh Y6 ; Kholghi G7 ; Akhondzadeh S8 ; Vaseghi S9
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Power Electronic, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran
  3. 3. Student Research Committee, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Health Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Medical Physics Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IBB), University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
  8. 8. Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  9. 9. Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, 1419815477, Iran

Source: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Published:2024


Abstract

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) dysfunction is one of the most important mechanisms underlying depression. It seems that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) improve depression via affecting BDNF level. In this systematic review, for the first time, we aimed to review the effect of three SSRIs including fluoxetine, escitalopram, and sertraline, on both depression and BDNF level in preclinical and clinical studies. PubMed electronic database was searched, and 193 articles were included in this study. After reviewing all manuscripts, only one important difference was found: subjects. We found that SSRIs induce different effects in animals vs. humans. Preclinical studies showed many controversial effects, while human studies showed only two effects: improvement of depression, with or without the improvement of BDNF. However, most studies used chronic SSRIs treatment, while acute SSRIs were not effectively used and evaluated. In conclusion, it seems that SSRIs are reliable antidepressants, and the improvement effect of SSRIs on depression is not dependent to BDNF level (at least in human studies). © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.
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