Hippocampal Glial Alterations Are Associated with Mitochondrial Changes and Reduced Glucocorticoid Receptor Density in Suicides
5 affiliations
- 1Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla 72570, Mexico
- 2Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, Cinvestav-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala 90120, Mexico
- 3Instituto de Ciencias Forenses (INCIFO), Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Ciudad de México (TSJCDMX), Mexico City 06720, Mexico
- 4Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), Mexico City 14610, Mexico
- 5Hospital Psiquiátrico Dr. Rafael Serrano “El Batán”, Puebla 72960, Mexico
Abstract
Suicide is a major public health concern frequently associated with depressive disorders and neurobiological alterations within the hippocampus. This study investigated biomarkers related to neuroinflammation, oxidative/nitrosative stress, and mitochondrial labeling in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of young and adult individuals of Mexican ancestry who died by suicide. Postmortem hippocampal CA1 samples were obtained from young and adult suicide cases and age-matched controls. Cellular markers of microglia (ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, Iba1) and astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP), neuronal density, glucocorticoid receptor expression, and mitochondrial labeling were evaluated and compared among groups. Suicide cases exhibited increased microglial and astrocyte cell density indicated by increased Iba1 and GFAP immunoreactivity in both age groups. In contrast, mitochondrial labeling and glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity were reduced in suicide cases, regardless of age. Additionally, a significant reduction in neuronal density was detected exclusively in young individuals who died by suicide. Together, these findings indicate age-independent alterations in glial immunoreactivity, mitochondrial labeling, and glucocorticoid receptor expression, alongside reduced neuronal density in the hippocampal CA1 region of younger suicide cases, supporting the involvement of neuroinflammation-related processes in suicide. Despite the limited sample size, these findings provide insight into potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying suicide and may contribute to the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets for individuals at risk.
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BibTeX
@article{vazquezhernandez2026hippocampal,
title = {{Hippocampal Glial Alterations Are Associated with Mitochondrial Changes and Reduced Glucocorticoid Receptor Density in Suicides}},
author = {Andrea Judith Vázquez-Hernández and Yali Escribano-Cadena and Julio César Morales-Medina and Amira Flores and Laura Alejandra Mendoza-Larios and Roberto Cuauhtémoc Mendoza-Morales and Humberto Nicolini and Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán and Fernando García-Dolores and Gonzalo Flores},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219700},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9700},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hippocampal Glial Alterations Are Associated with Mitochondrial Changes and Reduced Glucocorticoid Receptor Density in Suicides
AU - Andrea Judith Vázquez-Hernández
AU - Yali Escribano-Cadena
AU - Julio César Morales-Medina
AU - Amira Flores
AU - Laura Alejandra Mendoza-Larios
AU - Roberto Cuauhtémoc Mendoza-Morales
AU - Humberto Nicolini
AU - Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán
AU - Fernando García-Dolores
AU - Gonzalo Flores
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219700
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9700
AB - Suicide is a major public health concern frequently associated with depressive disorders and neurobiological alterations within the hippocampus. This study investigated biomarkers related to neuroinflammation, oxidative/nitrosative stress, and mitochondrial labeling in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of young and adult individuals of Mexican ancestry who died by suicide. Postmortem hippocampal CA1 samples were obtained from young and adult suicide cases and age-matched controls. Cellular markers of microglia (ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, Iba1) and astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP), neuronal density, glucocorticoid receptor expression, and mitochondrial labeling were evaluated and compared among groups. Suicide cases exhibited increased microglial and astrocyte cell density indicated by increased Iba1 and GFAP immunoreactivity in both age groups. In contrast, mitochondrial labeling and glucocorticoid receptor immunoreactivity were reduced in suicide cases, regardless of age. Additionally, a significant reduction in neuronal density was detected exclusively in young individuals who died by suicide. Together, these findings indicate age-independent alterations in glial immunoreactivity, mitochondrial labeling, and glucocorticoid receptor expression, alongside reduced neuronal density in the hippocampal CA1 region of younger suicide cases, supporting the involvement of neuroinflammation-related processes in suicide. Despite the limited sample size, these findings provide insight into potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying suicide and may contribute to the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets for individuals at risk.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -