Astrocyte Activation, but not Microglia, Is Associated with the Experimental Mouse Model of Schizophrenia Induced by Chronic Ketamine

Ketamine is a noncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Many experimental studies have shown that ketamine can induce cognitive impairments and schizophrenia-like symptoms. While much data have demonstrated that glial cells are associated with the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, the response of glial cells to ketamine and its significance to schizophrenia are not clear. The present study was intended to explore whether chronic ketamine treatment would induce behavioral and glial changes in mice. First, ketamine was used to stimulate behavioral abnormalities similar to schizophrenia evaluated by the open field test, elevated plus-maze test, Y maze test, novel object recognition test, and tail suspension test. Secondly, histopathology and Nissl staining were performed. Meanwhile, immunofluorescence was used to evaluate the expression levels of IBA-1 (a microglial marker) and GFAP (an astrocyte marker) in the mouse hippocampus for any change. Then, ELISA was used to analyze proinflammatory cytokine levels for any change. Our results showed that ketamine (25 mg/kg, i.p., qid, 12 days) induced anxiety, recognition deficits, and neuronal injury in the hippocampus. Moreover, chronic ketamine treatment enhanced GFAP expression in CA1 and DG regions of the hippocampus but did not influence the expression of IBA-1. Ketamine also increased the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the mouse hippocampus. Our study created a new procedure for ketamine administration, which successfully induce negative symptoms and cognitive-behavioral defects in schizophrenia by chronic ketamine. This study further revealed that an increase in astrocytosis, but not microglia, is associated with the mouse model of schizophrenia caused by ketamine. In summary, hippocampal astrocytes may be involved in the pathophysiology of ketamine-induced schizophrenia-like phenotypes through reactive transformation and regulation of neuroinflammation.