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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Stem Cells. Oct 26, 2026; 18(10): 124640
Published online Oct 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.124640
Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate fluoxetine-resistant depression-like behaviors in mice by multi-target effects in the hippocampus
Yu Liu, Jian-Fei Wu, Mao-Ya Xu, Ji Kang, An-Hong Ye, Bo Liu, Ke-Zhi Liu
Yu Liu, Jian-Fei Wu, Mao-Ya Xu, Ji Kang, An-Hong Ye, Bo Liu, Ke-Zhi Liu, Center for Psychiatry Research, Zigong Mental Health Center, Zigong 643020, Sichuan Province, China
Yu Liu, Jian-Fei Wu, Mao-Ya Xu, Ji Kang, An-Hong Ye, Bo Liu, Ke-Zhi Liu, Department of Psychiatry, School of Mental Health, Southwest Medical University, Zigong 643020, Sichuan Province, China
Yu Liu, Jian-Fei Wu, Mao-Ya Xu, Ji Kang, An-Hong Ye, Bo Liu, Ke-Zhi Liu, Center for Psychiatry Research, The Zigong Institute of Brain Science, Zigong 643020, Sichuan Province, China
Ke-Zhi Liu, Psychosomatic Medicine Center, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Yu Liu and Jian-Fei Wu.
Co-corresponding authors: Bo Liu and Ke-Zhi Liu.
Author contributions: Liu Y and Wu JF contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors; Liu B and Liu KZ designed the research study, they contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-corresponding authors; Liu Y, Wu JF, and Xu MY performed the research; Liu Y, Wu JF, and Liu B wrote the original manuscript; Kang J and Ye AH reviewed the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tool was used to generate research data, interpret results, or formulate conclusions.
Supported by Zigong Key Science and Technology Plan (Collaborative Innovation Project of Zigong Institute of Brain Sciences), No. 2024-NKY-01-04, No. 2025NKY0104, No. 2025NKY0201, and No. 2025NKY0105; Health Commission of Zigong High-Level Talent Development Project, No. WJW-GCCRC025; Collaborative Innovation Project of Zigong Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Research Institute, No. 2025ZXY0206; and Health Commission of Sichuan Province Medical Science and Technology Program, No. 25QNMP018.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All animal research procedures were performed in accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The study protocol was ethically reviewed and approved by the Zigong Mental Health Center Animal Ethics Committee (Approval No. ZPRC-20250223).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the results reported are archived in Supplementary material.
Corresponding author: Bo Liu, PhD, Center for Psychiatry Research, Zigong Mental Health Center, No. 666 Gongshu Road, Gongjing District, Zigong 643020, Sichuan Province, China. liubo2511@163.com
Received: June 23, 2026
Revised: July 19, 2026
Accepted: October 14, 2026
Published online: October 26, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 17.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: We established a mouse model of fluoxetine-resistant depression (FRD) by combining chronic unpredictable restraint stress with corticosterone administration. Systemic administration of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) exerted robust antidepressant-like effects through multiple mechanisms, including suppression of hippocampal neuroinflammation, restoration of astrocytic integrity, protection of neuronal survival, and promotion of adult neurogenesis. These effects were associated with reactivation of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin receptor kinase B/cAMP response element-binding signaling pathway. hBMSCs did not engraft in the brain, suggesting paracrine-mediated actions. Our findings support the use of hBMSCs as a promising multi-target therapeutic strategy for FRD, an early stage of treatment-resistant depression.

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