Deer Antler S-Adenosylmethionine Ameliorates Depression-Like Behaviors and Neuroinflammation in CUMS Mice.

AIM: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) from deer antler on improving depression-like behaviors in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice. METHODS: The CUMS method was used to establish a mouse depression model. The relationship between SAM and HIF-1α was analyzed by small molecule-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation. RESULTS: Network pharmacology analysis showed that the effect of SAM is related to HIF-1α. When shRNA-HIF-1α was used to silence the expression of HIF-1α, the effect of SAM was inhibited. The improvement of depression-like behaviors in mice was not significant, and inflammatory factors were no longer further downregulated. CONCLUSION: SAM can improve depression-like behaviors in CUMS mice and enhance their mobility. SAM inhibits neuroinflammation and glycolysis, and also suppresses the activation of microglia.