Variability in the effects of ketamine enantiomers across animal models of depression and implications for human studies.
Br J Pharmacol June 16, 2026 György Bagdy, Dóra Pothorszki, Noémi Papp et al.
Ketamine's two enantiomers, (R)-ketamine and (S)-ketamine, produce different effects in animal models of depression, and this variability has important implications for translating findings to human studies. The review examines how these enantiomers differ in their antidepressant-like actions across various rodent models, highlighting inconsistencies that may stem from differences in experimental conditions, dosing, and behavioral assays. Understanding these discrepancies is crucial for designing more reliable human clinical trials and for developing enantiomer-specific treatments that could offer improved efficacy and fewer side effects.