The antidepressant effect of bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation in chronic stress.

Background: Inflammation could be a risk factor for the development of depression and change the outcome of this common chronic-recurrent mental disorder.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate if bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) transplantation is effective in restoring sucrose preference in rats subjected to chronic stress (CS), if it has an anti-inflammatory effect and is able to restore damaged DNA.

Methods: The effect of BMMC transplantation was studied in a controlled protocol (compared with a control group and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram group) involving sucrose preference in CS in rats.