Wen-Qian Shi, Haiqiong Yu, Shao-Yuan Bai+3 more · 2026 · FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · added 2026-04-24
Chronic toxoplasmosis has been increasingly associated with behavior disorders, including depression-like behaviors, while the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonst Show more
Chronic toxoplasmosis has been increasingly associated with behavior disorders, including depression-like behaviors, while the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that chronic toxoplasmosis induced depression-like behaviors in mice, which were observed together with neuroinflammation, neuronal injury, and suppression of the BDNF-TrkB pathway. Treatment with the TrkB agonist 7,8-DHF alleviated these behavioral deficits by restoring BDNF-TrkB signaling, preserving neuronal function, and reducing neuroinflammation through inhibition of NF-κB and MAPK pathways. Additionally, 7,8-DHF also reduced astrocyte overactivation and protected blood-brain barrier structure integrity. These findings highlight that disruption of BDNF-TrkB signaling contributes to T. gondii-induced behavioral abnormalities and that targeting this pathway may represent a promising therapeutic strategy against neuroinflammation and neuronal damage associated with chronic infection. Show less