Inhibition of Semaphorin 3A in Hippocampus Alleviates Postpartum Depression-Like Behaviors in Mice

• DOI: 10.1007/s12035-025-04752-5
• Publication Date: 2025-02-11T19:05:16Z
• Authors: Qing Chen; Fang Xu; Hui Wu; Linghua Xie; Hua Li; Cuicui Jiao; Honghai Zhang; Xinzhong Chen
• Keywords: Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a widespread psychiatric condition affecting up to 20% of postpartum women. Although it known be associated with ovarian hormone withdrawal following delivery, current treatments remain limited due lack underlying mechanism. Here, in mice, we identified that semaphorin 3A (sema3A) exhibited notable increase expression within the hippocampus whereas no such upregulation was observed female mice experiencing induced by lipopolysaccharide or chronic restraint stress. The coexpression rate sema3A and c-Fos also elevated hippocampal CA3 mice. Importantly, systemic inhibition genetic knockdown significantly alleviated depressive symptoms withdrawal. Further, overexpression depressive-like behaviors naïve In conclusion, our cumulative findings suggest plays pivotal role pathogenesis depression, could serve as promising treatment target for ameliorating this disorder.