title: Self-inhibiting action of nortriptyline's anti-immobility effect at high plasma and brain levels in mice.
abstract: Animals were treated acutely with 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg nortriptyline (NT) 30 min before the tail suspension test (TST). They were sacrificed after test for evaluation of plasma and brain levels of NT. The anti-immobility effect increased with increasing doses and concentrations of the drug, reaching statistical significance (P less than 0.01, Dunnett test) at a dose of 20 mg/kg, 865 ng/ml in plasma and 11 micrograms/g in brain tissue. The anti-immobility effect was, however, blocked with the highest, non-toxic, concentrations. Results seem to indicate a biphasic curvilinear relationship between plasma and brain levels of NT and behaviour in mice.
authors.affiliation: Clinique des Maladies Mentales et de l'Encéphale, Paris, France.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reis de Oliveria
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Diquet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van der Meersch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dardennes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonidec
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: do Prado-Lima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D009661:Nortriptyline