Study of the in vitro modulation exerted by the antidepressant drug escitalopram on the expression of candidate microRNAs and their target genes

The obtained results confirmed a significant increase of let-7f, both after 48 (p = 0.031) and 72 h (p = 0.022), and of miR-26a after 48 h (p = 0.032). On the same experimental model, a transcriptome analysis was conducted after 72 h, highlighting a drug-induced modulation of 1184 protein-coding genes, 207 of which represent let-7f targets. Particularly interesting was the downregulation of BCOR, CCND1 and ATR, validated let-7f targets, which play a key role in the mechanisms of neurogenesis, neuroplasticity and protection from oxidative stress in the brain, indicating that escitalopram could exert downstream effects on gene expression through the regulation of specific miRNAs.