The connexin hemichannel inhibitor D4 produces rapid antidepressant-like effects in mice

Depression is a common mood disorder characterized by a range of clinical symptoms, including prolonged low mood and diminished interest. Although many clinical and animal studies have provided significant insights into the pathophysiology of depression, current treatment strategies are not sufficient to manage this disorder. It has been suggested that connexin (Cx)-based hemichannels are candidates for depression intervention by modifying the state of neuroinflammation. In this study, we investigated the antidepressant-like effect of a recently discovered selective Cx hemichannel inhibitor, a small organic molecule called D4. We first showed that D4 reduced hemichannel activity following systemic inflammation after LPS injections. Next, we found that D4 treatment prevented LPS-induced inflammatory response and depressive-like behaviors. These behavioral effects were accompanied by reduced astrocytic activation and hemichannel activity in depressive-like mice induced by repeated low-dose LPS challenges. D4 treatment also reverses depressive-like symptoms in mice subjected to chronic restraint stress (CRS). To test whether D4 broadly affected neural activity, we measured c-Fos expression in depression-related brain regions and found a reduction in c-Fos(+) cells in different brain regions. D4 significantly normalized CRS-induced hypoactivation in several brain regions, including the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and lateral septum. Together, these results indicate that blocking Cx hemichannels using D4 can normalize neuronal activity and reduce depressive-like symptoms in mice by reducing neuroinflammation. Our work provides evidence of the antidepressant-like effect of D4 and supports glial Cx hemichannels as potential therapeutic targets for depression. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12974-023-02873-z.