Luteolin Potentially Alleviates Methamphetamine Withdrawal-Induced Negative Emotions and Cognitive Deficits Through the AKT/FOXO1/HO-1 Signaling Pathway in the Prefrontal Cortex and Caudate Putamen

作者：Baoyao Gao, Ran An, Min Liang, Xinglin Wang, Jianhang Peng, Xingyao Chen, Zijun Liu, Tao Li, Xinshe Liu, Jianbo Zhang, Wei Han · 发表于：International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/ijms26125739 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms、Tryptophan and brain disorders、Heme Oxygenase-1 and Carbon Monoxide

Methamphetamine (METH) misuse-induced affective and cognitive dysfunctions cause severe global health and economic burdens. However, the mechanisms underlying METH withdrawal-induced negative emotions and cognitive deficits, as well as the treatment strategies for them, remain elusive. Previous findings suggest that METH use triggers neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis, and protein kinase B (AKT), forkhead box protein 1 (FOXO1), and heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) are implicated in these processes. In the present study, we aimed to reveal the role and potential mechanisms of luteolin, a flavonoid phytochemical with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, in METH withdrawal-induced negative emotions and cognitive deficits. We found that prolonged METH withdrawal led to an increase in neuronal activity and a decrease in the protein expression of phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) and HO-1 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and caudate putamen (CPu). Luteolin pretreatment partially mitigated these METH withdrawal-induced negative emotions and cognitive deficits, and prevented the abnormal activation of PFC and CPu as well as the downregulation of AKT/HO-1 expression. Notably, we further observed that luteolin inhibited the METH-induced nuclear translocation of FOXO1. Our findings suggest that luteolin may alleviate METH withdrawal-induced affective and cognitive dysfunctions by reducing oxidative injury in the brain through the AKT/FOXO1/HO-1 pathway, highlighting its potential for tre...