title: Effects of stimulation and blockade of d(2) receptor on depression-like behavior in ovariectomized female rats.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to explore the hedonic effects of D(2) receptor agonist, quinpirole and D(2) receptor antagonist, and sulpiride alone or in combination with a low dose of 17β-E(2)-estradiol (17β-E(2)) in the adult ovariectomized female rats (OVX). OVX rats of Wistar strain were used in all experiments. Two weeks after surgery rats were chronically treated with vehicle, a low dose of 17β-E(2) (5.0 μg/rat), quinpirole (0.1 mg/kg), sulpiride (10.0 mg/kg), quinpirole plus 17β-E(2), or sulpiride plus 17β-E(2) for 14 days before the forced swimming test. We found that sulpiride significantly decreased immobility time in the OVX females. A combination of sulpiride with a low dose of 17β-E(2) induced more profound decrease of immobility time in the OVX rats compared to the rats treated with sulpiride alone. On the contrary, quinpirole failed to modify depression-like behavior in the OVX rats. In addition, quinpirole significantly blocked the antidepressant-like effect of 17β-E(2) in OVX rats. Thus, the D(2) receptor antagonist sulpiride alone or in combination with a low dose of 17β-E(2) exerted antidepressant-like effect in OVX female rats, while the D(2) receptor agonist quinpirole produced depressant-like profile on OVX rats.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology of the Russian Academy of Science, 6 Emb. Makarova, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fedotova