REVIEW ARTICLE
Dexmedetomidine in the Treatment of Depression: An Up-to-date Narrative Review
Tamadhir Al-Mahrouqi1, 2, Mohammed Al Alawi1, Rafael C. Freire3, 4, *
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2023Volume: 19
E-location ID: e174501792307240
Publisher ID: e174501792307240
DOI: 10.2174/17450179-v19-230823-2023-4
Article History:
Received Date: 16/01/2023Revision Received Date: 21/06/2023
Acceptance Date: 23/06/2023
Electronic publication date: 30/08/2023
Collection year: 2023
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Depressive disorders (DD) are common, and their prevalence is expected to rise over the next decade. Depressive disorders are linked to significant morbidity and mortality. The clinical conundrum of depressive disorders lies in the heterogeneity of their phenomenology and etiology. Further, the currently available antidepressants have several limitations, including a delayed onset of action, limited efficacy, and an unfavorable side effect profile. In this review, Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly selective and potent α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) agonist, is proposed as a potentially novel antidepressant with multiple mechanisms of action targeting various depression pathophysiological processes. These mechanisms include modulation of the noradrenergic system, regulation of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, influence on the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels, and modulation of neurotransmitter systems, such as glutamate. The review begins with an introduction before moving on to a discussion of DEX's pharmacological features. The pathophysiological and phenomenological targets of DD are also explored, along with the review of the existing preclinical and clinical evidence for DEX's putative anti-depressant effects. Finally, the review ends by presenting the pertinent conclusions and future directions.
