Astrocytic-HSP60 Depletion Contributed to Autophagy Defects of Astrocytes and Depressive-Like Behaviors in Male Mice.

Depression, a prevalent mental health disorder, is multifaceted in its etiology. Growing evidence suggests that dysregulation of heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) contributes to neurological dysfunction, but its role in astrocyte-mediated depressive-like behaviors and neuroinflammation remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate whether astrocyte-specific HSP60 depletion disrupts cellular homeostasis and is associated with astrocyte dysfunction that contributes to depressive-like behaviors and related inflammatory signaling, with a particular emphasis on the role of autophagy. Employing animal models, we demonstrate that chronic stress could dysregulate HSP60 in the brain of mice concurrent with inducing depressive-like symptoms in mice. Furthermore, astrocyte-specific HSP60 depletion (HSP60 cKO) male mice exhibited depressive-like behaviors, alongside significant disruption in astrocyte morphology and impaired autophagic processes within the cortex. Remarkably, these deleterious effects of HSP60 depletion were mitigated by triggering autophagy via urolithin A (UA) treatment, both in the brains of HSP60 cKO mice and in primary astrocytes derived from these mice. These findings shed light on the intricate interplay between astrocytes, HSP60, and autophagy in the etiology of depression, offering potential avenues for therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating astrocytic function and autophagic pathways to alleviate depressive symptoms and astrocyte-associated neuroinflammation.