title: Nicotine produces antidepressant-like actions: Behavioral and neurochemical evidence.
abstract: Converging lines of evidence indicate the involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in depressive illness and antidepressant drug action. We investigated the effects of sub-chronic and chronic treatment with imipramine, nicotine and their combination on: (a) the ability of a dopamine-mimetic challenge to produce locomotor stimulation and (b) cortical density of beta-adrenoceptors. One week of treatment with imipramine (10 mg/kg, twice daily) did not result in an altered response to the apomorphine (0.15 mg/kg) challenge, but after 2 weeks, the imipramine-treated rats demonstrated hyperactivity. Conversely, such increased locomotor response was observed in rats treated with nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, twice daily) for 1 but not for 2 weeks. Groups treated with nicotine+imipramine for 1 and 2 weeks demonstrated equally high hyperactivity in response to the apomorphine challenge. This effect was not different from the effects of 1-week treatment with nicotine or 2-week treatment with imipramine. The density of beta-adrenoceptors was equally decreased by 2 (but not 1) weeks of the treatment with imipramine, nicotine and their combination. The present behavioral and neurochemical data suggest the antidepressant-like effect of the chronic treatment with nicotine. It appears that the potentiation of the dopamine-mimetic-induced hyperactivity cannot be explained by beta-adrenoceptor down-regulation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smetna Street, 31-343 Kraków, Poland. nfpopik@cyf-kr.edu.pl
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Popik
authors.forename: Martyna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krawczyk
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kos
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nalepa
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalska
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Witarski
authors.forename: Lucyna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antkiewicz-Michaluk
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vetulani
mesh_terms: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D009538:Nicotine; D001058:Apomorphine; D007099:Imipramine