Anti-immobility activity of different antidepressant drugs using the tail suspension test in normal or reserpinized mice.
The tail suspension test is a screening procedure recently used in mice to detect antidepressant activity of drugs. The ability of amine re-uptake inhibitors to decrease immobility in non-reserpinized and in reserpinized mice was studied. Reserpine (4 mg/kg ip) was injected 4 h previously. Anti-depressants were administered ip, 60 min before tail suspension. Animal activity was recorded for 6 min. Preferential serotonin re-uptake blockers (fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, clomipramine) were poorly active in non-reserpinized mice and inactive in reserpine-treated mice. Noradrenergic drugs (desipramine, demexiptiline, viloxazine) were more efficient in reserpinized than in non-reserpinized mice. The mixed serotonin-noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitor (imipramine) shows an activity which should be considered between serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors. DA re-uptake inhibitors (amineptine, GBR 12909) exhibited the highest anti-immobility effect in non reserpinized animals but were of low efficacy after reserpine treatment. Amphetamine differed from dopamine re-uptake inhibitors by its better activity in reserpinized animals. Moreover, it was the only drug showing an equal anti-immobility effect in non reserpinized and reserpinized mice because the dose of 8 mg/kg of amphetamine reduced immobility in reserpinized mice with the same intensity as the dose of 4 mg/kg in non reserpinized mice whereas no other drugs tested in this study achieved the same effect. Comparison of anti-immobility activities of putative anti-depressants in non-pre-treated and in reserpine-pre-treated mice, using the tail suspension test, may be useful to discriminate amphetamines from antidepressant drugs and to differentiate between categories of amine re-uptake blockers.
Teste
J F
JF
Département Recherche, Coopération Pharmaceutique Française, La Rochette, France.
Pelsy-Johann
I
I
Decelle
T
T
Boulu
R G
RG
D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D007103:Immobilization / Q000502:physiology*; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012110:Reserpine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012149:Restraint, Physical
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; D010879:Piperazines; C011597:amineptin; D012110:Reserpine; C043425:vanoxerine; D000661:Amphetamine