Combined Fluoxetine and Metformin Treatment Potentiates Antidepressant Efficacy Increasing IGF2 Expression in the Dorsal Hippocampus

Figure 2

Effects of fluoxetine, metformin, or their combination on expression of genes involved in brain plasticity in the dorsal and ventral hippocampi. (a) IGF2 is significantly increased by the combined treatment compared to VEH and FLX alone, suggesting that this growth factor is involved in the antidepressant action of the FLX-MET treatment. Such effect concerned the dorsal hippocampus, where FLX-MET treatment increased IGF2 expression compared to all the other groups. (b) IGF1, (c) p11, (d) BDNF, and (e) leptin expression was not affected by treatment, but IGF1 and BDNF levels were overall higher in the dorsal hippocampus, while p11 and leptin were higher in the ventral hippocampus. Treatments as indicated in the legend, mice per group. , the main effect of the hippocampal region; and vs FLX-MET in the dorsal region. Data are presented as .

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