They found that 64 miRNAs showed significant changes between fluoxetine treatment and control groups by analyzing 626 mouse miRNAs. Many miRNAs in response to fluoxetine are involved in neural-related signaling pathways by analyzing miRNA-target gene pairs using the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). Moreover, miRNAs with altered expression are mainly associated with the repression of the dopaminergic synapse signals, which may affect hippocampal function after fluoxetine treatment.
These results demonstrate that a number of miRNAs respond to antidepressants even in normal mice and may affect target gene expression, which supports the safety consideration of inappropriate treatment and off-label use of antidepressant drugs.
