Abstract Introduction Depression is a leading global cause of disability and premature mortality, yet many patients do not respond adequately to standard treatments. Converging evidence suggests that inflammatory processes contribute to the onset, maintenance and recurrence of depression, but findings are dispersed across basic, translational and clinical research. Methods and analysis This scoping review will systematically map how inflammation is implicated in depression and how inflammatory markers and pathways have been targeted in prevention and treatment. We will follow established guidance for scoping reviews and report in line with the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Multiple bibliographic databases, trial registries, grey literature sources and preprint servers will be searched without language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently screen records, select studies and chart data using a piloted extraction form. We will summarise study characteristics, inflammatory mechanisms, biomarkers, interventions and clinical outcomes using descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis, and develop an integrative framework linking mechanisms to therapeutic strategies. Ethics and dissemination Only publicly available data will be used and no new data will be collected, so formal ethics approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated through peer reviewed publication, knowledge exchange activities and, where appropriate, the development of practice oriented recommendations to inform future clinical guidelines for depression. Registration This scoping review protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework.
Yan Bo (Wed,) studied this question.