Effects in animal models of depression of lisuride alone and upon coadministration with antidepressants

Abstract

Effects of lisuride, a central dopamine and serotonin agonist of the ergot type, in animal models of depression were investigated in comparison with those of desipramine, mianserin and rolipram. Lisuride, like desipramine and mianserin, inhibited reserpine-induced hypothermia in mice (0.5-5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and suppressed muricide in olfactory bulbectomized rats (ED50 = 0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-muricidal effect was slightly enhanced by the repeated administration of 0.25 mg/kg lisuride. Lisuride (0.05-0.25 mg/kg, i.p.), like desipramine, dose-dependently reduced the duration of immobility in rats forced to swim, and this effect was antagonized by haloperidol. The reduction of immobility time was enhanced by the repeated administration of lisuride; at the same time, the ambulation in rats increased. Furthermore, the immobility-reducing effects of desipramine and rolipram were markedly enhanced by the co-administration of a low dose of lisuride (0.025 mg/kg, i.p.), which by itself had no effect on the immobility time. These results indicate that lisuride may be useful for the treatment of depression and indicate that a low dose of lisuride may enhance the clinical effectiveness of antidepressants such as desipramine.