Abstract
Yohimbine, 5 or 20 mg/kg given intraperitoneally, increased the concentration of brain serotonin and decreased that of 5-HIAA, in the rat. The changes occurred in 2–4 hr after administration of the alkaloid. Changes in the same direction as brain were observed for serotonin in the intestine. Tryptophan in the blood was slightly increased at 2 hr, but no change was detected in the brain. MAO activity in vitro was inhibited only by the higher concentration of yohimbine; no inhibition was observed in vivo in the brain and the liver. Yohimbine induced also a dose-dependent decrease of spontaneous locomotion and of body temperature. Corynanthine, an isomer of yohimbine, did not cause any of the above changes at the same dose levels. The results are discussed in terms of inhibition of tryptophan pyrrolase by yohimbine as well as the possible stimulation of serotonin receptors by yohimbine. This drug could be considered as a potential tool to test the involvement of serotoninergic processes in endogenous depression.
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