Differential effects of a short-term high-fat diet in an animal model of depression in rats treated with the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, the 5-HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT, and the SSRI, fluoxetine

• 2-Methyl-5-HT was shown to display anti-depressive-like effects.
• Ondansetron served to enhance the anti-depressive like effects of the SSRI, fluoxetine.
• High-fat diet counteracted the anti-depressive effect of the SSRI, fluoxetine.
• A high-fat diet protects against depressive-like behavior.

Investigation into the effects of a high-fat diet on depression in the context of 5-HT3 receptor function is important given 5-HT3 antagonism may represent a novel candidate for drug discovery. To more fully understand the relationship between the 5-HT3 receptor system, depression, and high-fat intake, our main interest was to study the short-term effects of a high-fat diet on the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, and the 5-HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT, as well as the SSRI, fluoxetine, in an animal model of depression. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed either a standard diet (11% fat) or a high-fat diet (32.5% fat) for seven days then treated with either fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, ip), ondansetron (1 mg/kg, ip), 2-methyl-5-HT (3 mg/kg, ip), fluoxetine + ondansetron or, 2-methyl-5-HT + ondansetron prior to the Forced Swim Test. In the standard diet group, treatment with the 5HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT, served to significantly decrease time of immobility as compared to controls thus showing anti-depressive-like effects. Treatment with the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, served to enhance the anti-depressive like effects of the SSRI, fluoxetine, as treatment with both the SSRI and 5-HT3 receptor antagonist dramatically decreased immobility. Importantly, in the high-fat diet groups, a week of high-fat intake served to: 1) counteract the anti-depressive-like effect of the SSRI, fluoxetine, 2) reverse the anti-depressive-like effect of the 5HT3 receptor agonist, 2-methyl-5-HT and 3) provide protection against the depressive-like effects induced by the Forced Swim Test as rats fed a high-fat diet displayed the lowest amounts of immobility. In the aggregate, these data suggest that both SSRIs and the 5HT3 receptor system are affected by short-term high-fat intake and that a short-term high-fat diet protects against depressive-like effects in an animal model of depression.