Fig. 1: Ferroptosis-related biological processes and protein are associated with anxiety- and depression-like behaviour in mice brain tissues following Pb exposure.

A Flow chart of animal treatment and behavioural test. SPF male C57BL/6 J mice are allocated into control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups. After 8 weeks of Pb exposure, the depression-like behaviour are measured. B Time spent in the central squares and C. Overall distance travelled of control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups in OFT (n = 10); D Moving trajectory of control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups in OFT (n = 10); E Time spent in the open arm by the control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups in EPM (n = 10); F Immobility duration of control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups in TST (n = 10); G Sucrose preference of control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups; H Immobility duration and (I) activity of control, LPb, MPb, and HPb groups in FST; The contents of (J). Fe²⁺, K glutathione (GSH), L malondialdehyde (MDA) in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and striatum of different groups; Gel electrophoresis plot and semi-quantification of GPX4 and PTGS2 in (M). the prefrontal cortex, N hippocampus of mice (n = 3); O, P Ultrastructure of mitochondria in MPb group is imaged by transmission electron microscopy. The correlation analysis of the depression-like behaviour and ferroptosis-related biological process and proteins in the (Q). prefrontal cortex, and (R) hippocampus; ^*P < 0.05 vs Control; ^**P < 0.01 vs Control; ^***P < 0.001 vs Control. Comparisons are made using ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test.