Abstract: Depression has become a serious global public health problem due to its high incidence and great harm, and has aroused the attention of the society. Ketamine, a commonly used intravenous anesthetic and analgesic in clinical practice, has been found to have unique advantages in antidepressant therapy in recent years. With the development of research, the enantiomeric isomers of ketamine, (S)-ketamine and (R)-ketamine have entered the research field of antidepressant therapy. In this paper, we reviewed the progress of research on the antidepressant effects and mechanisms of ketamine, (S)-ketamine and (R)-ketamine, and provide a brief overview of the antidepressant effects of metabolites of ketamine, thereby deepening the understanding of the readers in the field of antidepressant effects of ketamine.

Key words: ketamine, anesthesia, depression, (S)-ketamine, (R)-ketamine