Phosphatidylserine: an antidepressive or a cognitive enhancer?
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the putative antidepressive and cognitive enhancer effects of phosphatidylserine (BC-PS). The antidepressive effect of BC-PS (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg), compared to saline or imipramine (IMI; 25 mg/kg), was studied in the forced swimming test in rats. These drugs were administered 1 and 8 h after training and 1 h before the test. BC-PS (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg)-treated rats exhibited a significant decrease in immobility time (IT) in the test session (performed 24 h after training) when compared to control rats. Moreover, the IMI-treated group showed a significant reduction in IT in comparison to control rats. The cognitive enhancer effect of BC-PS (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) was studied in the three versions of the water maze task: spatial working memory version, spatial reference memory version, and cued version. There was no significant difference between the BC-PS-treated groups and control animals in these memory tasks. Taken together, the present results are suggestive of an antidepressive effect of BC-PS in the forced swimming test in rats but not of a cognitive enhancer effect of the drug in the water maze test.
Castilho
João C
JC
Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro Politécnico-Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Av. Francisco H. dos Santos s/n, PO Box 19031, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Perry
Juliana C
JC
Andreatini
Roberto
R
Vital
Maria A B F
MA
D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D010718:Phosphatidylserines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013550:Swimming / Q000523:psychology
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D010718:Phosphatidylserines; D007099:Imipramine