Administration Of Imipramine Research Articles

Chronic imipramine administration amplifies the serotonin2A receptor-induced intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in C6 glioma cells through a calmodulin-dependent pathway.

In the present study, we examined whether chronic exposure of C6BU-1 cells to 100 nM of several different types of antidepressants directly influences serotonin2A (5-HT2A) receptor-stimulated intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Imipramine, desipramine, clomipramine, and maprotiline amplified the 5-HT response at 48, but not at 2, h. Imipramine increased the maximum response to 5-HT without altering the EC50 of the dose-response curve. This effect was time dependent and cycloheximide blocked the maximal induction, suggesting an essential role for protein synthesis in this process. Previous exposure of the cells to thrombin or isoproterenol did not influence 5-HT2A receptor function and pretreatment with imipramine did not alter the thrombin- or bradykinin-induced Ca2+ mobilization, which indicates that the effects of imipramine appear to be specific to the 5-HT2A receptor. The effect of imipramine was potently suppressed by a calmodulin antagonist, W-13, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, this amplified 5-HT response was blocked by KN-93, but not by H-7. Taken together, these results suggest that imipramine has a modulatory effect on the 5-HT2A receptor-coupled intracellular Ca2+ in C6 cells through a calmodulin-dependent pathway, possibly involving Ca2+/calmodulin kinase activation.

Decrease in Erythrocyte:Plasma Lithium Ratio by Concurrent Administration of Psychotropic Drugs and Lithium in Mice

1. Previous studies paying attention to concurrent use of lithium (Li +) with a neuroleptic were not done under constant and controlled conditions. We were therefore encouraged to do a prospectively controlled study, presuming constant relevant factors, on concomitant use of Li + with neuroleptic as well as other psychotropic agents. 2. The effects of concurrent administration of chlorpromazine, haloperidol, imipramine and carbamazepine with Li + on the erythrocyte:plasma Li + ratio and the intraerythrocyte Li + concentration were studied in mice by using a new, direct method of measuring erythrocyte Li + concentration. 3. All of the foregoing agents with the exception of carbamazepine were observed to significantly decrease the Li + ratio. 4. Lack of any significant effect by carbamazepine on Li + transport may be an indication of this drug’s efficacy as a supplement in Li + therapy of bipolar affective disorders. 5. The decrease in Li + ratio observed with chlorpromazine, haloperidol and imipramine may be explained through the mechanism by which these drugs stabilize the cell membrane and consequently affect Li + transport in erythrocytes. 6. Moreover, our study proves that, although the Li +–sodium countertransport mechanism does not exist in mice, the same interaction between Li + and other psychotropic drugs is seen. It can be concluded that such interaction is not mediated through Li +–sodium countertransport. 7. It is suggested that, with concurrent use of a psychotropic drug and Li +, the amount of intraerythrocyte Li + concentration be measured, instead of relying on the plasma Li + concentration alone.

Chronic administration of imipramine and citalopram alters the expression of NMDA receptor subunit mRNAs in mouse brain

Chronic administration of antidepressants produces region-specific adaptive changes in the radioligand binding properties of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. We hypothesized that this effect of chronic antidepressant administration was owing to an alteration in NMDA receptor subunit composition. This hypothesis was examined using in situ hybridization with [35S]-labeled riboprobes to quantify the impact of chronic (16 d) injection with either imipramine (15 mg/kg) or citalopram (20 mg/kg) on the levels of transcripts encoding NMDA receptor subunits in mouse brain. These antidepressants altered the levels of mRNA encoding the zeta-subunit in a parallel fashion, with both drugs either reducing transcript levels (e.g., in the cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, and striatum) or producing no substantial effects (e.g., hippocampus). In contrast, these antidepressants often produced distinct, region-specific effects on mRNA levels encoding the epsilon family of subunits. For example, citalopram treatment produced widespread reductions in epsilon 1-subunit mRNA levels (e.g., in frontal cortex, CA2 of hippocampus, and amygdala), whereas imipramine reduced levels of this transcript only in the amygdala. Conversely, imipramine treatment produced widespread reductions in epsilon 2-subunit mRNA levels (e.g., in cortex, CA1-4 of hippocampus, and amygdala), whereas the effects of citalopram on levels of this transcript were largely restricted to amygdala. These findings indicate that long-term antidepressant treatment produces region-specific changes in expression of transcripts for NMDA receptor subunits, presumably altering NMDA receptor composition. Because subunit composition determines the physiological and pharmacological properties of NMDA receptors, these changes may play a critical role in the therapeutic actions of structurally diverse antidepressants.

The effect of prolonged treatment with imipramine on the biosynthesis and functional characteristics of D2 dopamine receptors in the rat caudate putamen.

1. The present study shows the effects of imipramine in a single dose (10 mg kg(-1), p.o.) or following repeated (14 days, twice a day) treatment on the level of mRNA coding for D2 dopamine receptors in the rat caudate putamen (CP). Repeated administration of imipramine resulted in the increase of the level of mRNA coding for D2 dopamine receptors. 2. Radioligand binding studies with the D2 receptor agonist, [3H]-N-0437, indicated, that following imipramine administration, the affinity of the agonist for the D2 dopamine receptor significantly increased, though without any alterations in the Bmax. 3. Pharmacological manipulations (by use of forskolin, GppNHp and quinpirole) of the cyclic AMP generating system, ex vivo following administration of imipramine indicated that an up-regulation of factors inhibiting cyclic GMP formation takes place. 4. Most probably it is the D2 dopamine receptor which undergoes functional up-regulation, resulting from the enhancement of its biosynthesis.

Effects of imipramine and sertraline on protein kinase activity in rat frontal cortex.

Three-week administration of sertraline or imipramine to rats (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, twice a day) increased ex vivo cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity in the soluble but not in the particulate fraction of the frontal cortex. However, cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity was not affected in either fraction of the parietotemporal cortex and hippocampus. Neither antidepressant altered protein kinase C activity in the soluble and particulate fractions or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity in the frontal cortex. Therefore, sertraline and imipramine both selectively enhance cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity in the frontal cortex. This enhancement might be involved in their biochemical mechanisms.

Effects of imipramine on raphe nuclei and prefrontal cortex extracellular serotonin levels in the rat.

The effect of acute administrations of three doses of imipramine (1, 5 and 10 mg/kg s.c.), a widely used tricyclic antidepressant, on extracellular levels of serotonin (5-HT) has been studied by intracerebral microdialysis in raphe nuclei and prefrontal cortex of conscious rats. Imipramine 1 mg/kg s.c. did not change extracellular 5-HT in either raphe nuclei and prefrontal cortex. However, with the dose of 5 mg/kg s.c. imipramine induced in raphe nuclei, a brief increase of extracellular 5-HT followed by a lowering (55-65% basal release) of the neurotransmitter. The same dose of imipramine decreased (60-70% of basal value) extracellular 5-HT in prefrontal cortex. Imipramine 10 mg/kg s.c. significantly increased 5-HT levels in both raphe nuclei (190 +/- 20% above basal value) and prefrontal cortex (280 +/- 15% above basal value). Pretreatment with (-)pindolol (5 mg/kg s.c.), a non-selective 5-HT1A subtype receptor antagonist, 30 min before imipramine 5 mg/kg, modified the effect of the antidepressant: an increase, instead of a decrease, on prefrontal cortex dialysate 5-HT was observed. (-)Pindolol (10 mg/kg s.c.) increased extracellular 5-HT in both raphe nuclei (155 +/- 20% above basal value) and prefrontal cortex (160 +/- 8% above basal value). These data show that acute administration of imipramine modifies extracellular 5-HT at the level of the raphe nuclei and prefrontal cortex. 5-HT1A autoreceptors in the raphe nuclei, which this study suggests to be tonically active, may be stimulated after systemic administration of high doses of imipramine.

Are Wistar-Kyoto rats a genetic animal model of depression resistant to antidepressants?

Wistar-Kyoto rats are reported to be very passive in the forced swimming test. In addition, they did not respond to acute administration of either desipramine or 8-hydroxy-2-(di- n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT). In the present experiment, it was studied whether or not they respond to acute and chronic administration of imipramine and the possible relationship to down-regulation of β-adrenoceptors and 5-HT 1 and 5-HT 2 receptors. Sprague-Dawley and Brown–Norway rats were included in the study as it has been previously demonstrated that the two strains respond to acute desipramine and 8-OH-DPAT administration. Whereas acute administration of imipramine (15 mg/kg, three times in a 24 h period) significantly increased struggling and reduced immobility in Sprague-Dawley and Brown Norway rats, Wistar-Kyoto rats failed to respond to the drug. After chronic treatment with imipramine (13 days plus the acute imipramine treatment at the end of the treatment period), the three strains showed a positive response that was always significantly greater than the response to acute administration, but which was much lower in Wistar-Kyoto than in the other two strains. Down-regulation of both β-adrenoceptors and 5-HT 2 receptors was observed 24 h after the forced swimming test in acutely and chronically imipramine-treated rats of the three strains, except that in Sprague-Dawley rats β-adrenoceptors did not change after acute imipramine. No significant decrease in 5-HT 1 binding sites was observed in any strain. Acute imipramine administration caused a similar anorexia in Wistar-Kyoto as in the other strains and at least the same level of down-regulation of β-adrenoceptors and 5-HT 2 receptors. In addition, serum imipramine levels on the day after the last drug administration were higher in Wistar-Kyoto than in the other two strains. All these data suggest that the subsensitivity to imipramine observed in Wistar-Kyoto rats: (i) can not be primarily explained by pharmacokinetic differences, and (ii) does not appear to be related to the monoaminergic systems. Wistar-Kyoto rats might be therefore not only a good animal model of depressive-like (passive) behavior, but also a model of resistance to antidepressants which could be used to investigate the neurobiological basis of such resistance, which is also observed in some depressed patients.

NMDA Receptor Complex Blockade by Oral Administration of Magnesium: Comparison with MK-801

The ion channel of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex is subject to a voltage-dependent regulation by Mg 2+ cations. Under physiological conditions, this channel is supposed to be blocked by a high concentration of magnesium in extracellular fluids. A single dose of magnesium organic salts (i.e., aspartate, pyroglutamate, and lactate) given orally to normal mice rapidly increases the plasma Mg 2+ level and reveals a significant dose-dependent antagonist effect of magnesium on the latency of NMDA-induced convulsions; this effect is similar to that seen after administration of the dizocilpine (MK-801) channel blocker. An anticonvulsant effect of Mg 2+ treatment is also observed with strychnine-induced convulsions but not with bicuculline-, picrotoxin-, or pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsions. In the forced swimming test, Mg 2+ salts reduce the immobility time in a way similar to imipramine and thus resemble the antidepressant-like activity of MK-801. This activity is masked at high doses of magnesium by a myorelaxant effect that is comparable to MK-801-induced ataxia. Potentiation of yohimbine fatal toxicity is another test commonly used to evaluate putative antidepressant drugs. Administration of Mg 2+ salts, like administration of imipramine, strongly potentiates yohimbine lethality, in contrast to MK-801, which is only poorly active in this test. Neither Mg 2+ nor MK-801 treatment can prevent reserpine-induced hypothermia. These data demonstrate that oral administration of magnesium to normal animals can antagonize NMDA-mediated responses and lead to antidepressant-like effects that are comparable to those of MK-801. This important regulatory role of Mg 2+ in the central nervous system needs further investigation to evaluate the potential therapeutic advantages of magnesium supplementation in psychiatric disorders.

Chronic imipramine is associated with diminished hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity in healthy humans.

The hypercortisolism of melancholic depression is thought to reflect hypothalamic hypersecretion of CRH and may be related to the hyperarousal associated with this syndrome. Although chronic administration of imipramine to experimental animals significantly decreases CRH messenger RNA levels in the paraventricular nucleus, it is generally thought that resolution of hypercortisolism following recovery from depression is related to the improvement in mood and decrease in anxiety that accompanies recovery rather than an intrinsic effect of imipramine. The present study was designed to explore whether chronic imipramine administration to healthy, nondepressed volunteers is associated with effects on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. We studied basal and provocative measures of HPA axis function in 14 healthy volunteers before and after 6 weeks of imipramine treatment at therapeutic doses. Imipramine was associated with decreased responses in peak ACTH and cortisol to ovine CRH and in peak ACTH to arginine vasopressin (P = 0.02, P = 0.003, and P = 0.02, respectively) without changes in indices of basal HPA axis function. These data are consistent with preclinical findings and support the hypothesis that imipramine has an intrinsic effect on central components of HPA axis function, potentially related to its therapeutic effects.

Detection of Tricyclic Antidepressants in Whole Blood by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and Capillary Gas Chromatography

A simple method for the extraction of four tricyclic antidepressants from whole blood by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is presented. The whole blood samples contain four drugs (amitriptyline, chlorimipramine, imipramine, and trimipramine) and are heated at 100 degrees C in a septum-capped vial in the presence of distilled water and NaOH solution; a polydimethylsiloxane-coated SPME fiber is exposed to the headspace of the vial to allow adsorption of the drugs before capillary gas chromatography (GC) with flame-ionization detection. The headspace SPME-GC produces intense peaks for each drug with very little background noise. Recoveries of the four drugs by the present method are 5.3-12.9%. The calibration curves for the drugs show linearity in the range of 31-1000 ng/0.5 mL. The detection limits of each drug are 16-25 ng/0.5 mL. Imipramine is detectable from rat blood 5 h after oral administration of imipramine (500 mg/kg body weight); the concentration is 1.44 +/- 0.209 micrograms/mL.

The effect of parenteral imipramine on the oral absorption of lamotrigine in rats

The interaction between imipramine and lamotrigine was investigated following the acute administration of lamotrigine (20 mg kg−1, p.o.) alone or together with imipramine (25 mg kg−1, i.p.) to rats. Similarly, the same doses of lamotrigine alone or when they were given together with imipramine (15 mg kg−1, i.p.) were administered to rats chronically for 5 days. Plasma samples were collected at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0, 12.0 and 24.0 h after lamotrigine administration. An assay of lamotrigine in plasma was performed using a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. The concomitant administration of imipramine (25 mg kg−1, i.p) with lamotrigine (20 mg kg−1, p.o.) acutely, resulted in a significant (P<0.05) decrease in the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), the mean area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) and the half-life (t1/2), and a significant decrease (P<0.001) in the time to reach maximum concentration (tmax), as compared to those obtained for lamotrigine alone. Similarly, the chronic administration of imipramine together with lamotrigine lead to significant decreases in Cmax, AUC and t1/2 while the tmax remained unchanged. These results suggest that a significant decrease in the absorption of lamotrigine occurs when it is given acutely or chronically together with the antidepressant imipramine.

Regulation of c-Fos and NGF1-A by antidepressant treatments.

The influence of antidepressant treatments on the expression of c-Fos and NGF-1A, two immediate early gene (IEG) transcription factors, was examined. Administration of electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), tranylcypromine, or imipramine, three different classes of antidepressants, increased the expression of c-Fos mRNA and immunoreactivity in rat frontal cortex, but the magnitude of the increase for each treatment differed and the effect of imipramine was preceded by inhibition of c-Fos expression. Expression of NGF-1A was increased by acute or chronic administration of ECS or tranylcypromine, and by chronic (21 d), but not acute, administration of imipramine. To study the mechanisms underlying these differences, we examined the neurotransmitter receptors that regulate the expression of c-Fos. ECS- and tranylcypromine induction of c-Fos immunoreactivity in frontal cortex was partially inhibited by pretreatment with specific antagonists for alpha 1-adrenergic, beta-adrenergic, and 5-HT2A/2C, but not D2-dopamine receptors. ECS induction of c-Fos was also inhibited by D1-dopamine and NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists, suggesting that the greater induction of c-Fos by ECS results from activation of these, and possibly other, neurotransmitter receptors. In the hippocampus, antagonism of tranylcypromine was similar to that in frontal cortex, except the D1-dopamine receptor antagonist also blocked the c-Fos response. In contrast, antagonism of the ECS response in hippocampus was only blocked by the NMDA receptor antagonist. The results demonstrate that ECS- and tranylcypromine induction of c-Fos is mediated by activation of several different neurotransmitter receptors, but that the exact pharmacological profile is different for each treatment and brain region.

Regulation of c‐Fos and NGF1‐A by antidepressant treatments

The influence of antidepressant treatments on the expression of c-Fos and NGF-1A, two immediate early gene (IEG) transcription factors, was examined. Administration of electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), tranylcypromine, or imipramine, three different classes of antidepressants, increased the expression of c-Fos mRNA and immunoreactivity in rat frontal cortex, but the magnitude of the increase for each treatment differed and the effect of imipramine was preceded by inhibition of c-Fos expression. Expression of NGF-1A was increased by acute or chronic administration of ECS or tranylcypromine, and by chronic (21 d), but not acute, administration of imipramine. To study the mechanisms underlying these differences, we examined the neurotransmitter receptors that regulate the expression of c-Fos. ECS- and tranylcypromine induction of c-Fos immunoreactivity in frontal cortex was partially inhibited by pretreatment with specific antagonists for α1-adrenergic, β-adrenergic, and 5-HT2A/2C, but not D2-dopamine receptors. ECS induction of c-Fos was also inhibited by D1-dopamine and NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists, suggesting that the greater induction of c-Fos by ECS results from activation of these, and possibly other, neurotransmitter receptors. In the hippocampus, antagonism of tranylcypromine was similar to that in frontal cortex, except the D1-dopamine receptor antagonist also blocked the c-Fos response. In contrast, antagonism of the ECS response in hippocampus was only blocked by the NMDA receptor antagonist. The results demonstrate that ECS- and tranylcypromine induction of c-Fos is mediated by activation of several different neurotransmitter receptors, but that the exact pharmacological profile is different for each treatment and brain region. Synapse 25:313–320, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Repeated administration of antidepressant drugs affects the levels of mRNA coding for D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in the rat brain.

The present study examined the effects of acute and repeated administration of three antidepressant drugs (imipramine, citalopram and (+)-oxaprotiline) on the levels of mRNA coding for dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the rat brain. Quantitive in situ hybridization with 35S-labelled oligonucleotide probes has been utilised. The level of mRNA coding for dopamine D1 receptor (D1 mRNA) is decreased following repeated administration of imipramine, both in the nucleus accumbens and in the striatum. On the other hand, the repeated administration of citalopram, the selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, resulted in an increase in the level of D1 mRNA in the striatum and in the core region of nucleus accumbens. A similar tendency, i.e.: an increase in the level of D1 mRNA was observed after repeated administration of (+)-oxaprotiline, a selective inhibitor of noradrenaline reuptake. The level of mRNA coding for dopamine D2 receptors (D2 mRNA) was increased in all the brain regions studied, both after administration of imipramine and citalopram. (+)-Oxaprotiline did not produce any statistically significant changes in the level of D2 mRNA. The results obtained in this study indicate that the levels of mRNA coding for dopamine D1 and D2 receptors are regulated by the antidepressant drugs. The changes concerning the dopamine D2 receptors are more consistent and fit in with the previously described binding and behavioral effects and seem to be important for the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs.

Suppression of the rat micturition reflex by imipramine.

1. This study investigates possible mechanisms through which imipramine (IMI) exerts its antienuretic effect. The micturition reflex in response to bladder distension produced by saline infusion was examined in anaesthetized rats. 2. The amplitude and frequency of micturition reflex contractions were reduced by peripheral administration of IMI, but the micturition reflex was abolished after its intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration. A muscarinic antagonist, atropine, displayed an inhibitory effect similar to that of IMI. A muscarinic agonist, carbachol, produced a dose-related rightward shift of the dose-response curve to IMI. Both IMI i.c.v. and the muscarinic antagonist l-methylscopolamine i.c.v. elevated the threshold of volume and pressure for micturition initiation, indicating that IMI and muscarinic antagonists mainly exert a central inhibitory effect on the micturition reflex. 3. In addition, to evaluate the role of central monoaminergic neurotransmission on micturition, the acetylcholine depletor hemicholinium-3 (HC-3), the catecholamines depletor alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT), and the serotonin depletor p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) were examined alone or in combination with IMI. The micturition threshold was increased by treatment with HC-3, but not by AMPT or PCPA. In HC-3 treated rats, the inhibitory effect of IMI on the micturition reflex was more prolonged than in normal rats. After administration of IMI, the recovery from the cessation of micturition reflex contractions was facilitated by carbachol in normal rats, but not in HC-3 treated rats. This indicates that acetylcholine plays a facilitatory role in initiating micturition reflex contractions. 4. Acute treatment with IMI decreased the frequency and increased the volume threshold of micturition reflex contraction. Acute and chronic treatment with IMI prolonged the cessation period of micturition by IMI. 5. These results suggest that IMI exerts an inhibitory action on the micturition reflex by a central cholinergic mechanism. Muscarinic receptors located at the supraspinal level are tonically stimulated during distension-induced micturition reflex.

Imipramine-induced changes in 5-HT2 receptor sites and inositoltrisphosphate levels in rat brain.

The effect of chronic administration of Imipramine on [3H]Spiperone binding to 5-HT2 sites and inositoltrisphosphate (IP3) levels in rat cerebral cortex was studied. Our data shows that treatment with imipramine (5 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) for 30 days significantly down regulates 5-HT2 receptors sites (262 +/- 29 fmol/mg protein) in cerebral cortex (38%), compared to control rats (425 +/- 60 fmol/mg protein., P < 0.001). However there was no significant change in the affinity of [3H]-Spiperone binding (kd) to 5-HT2 sites in cerebral cortex after exposure to imipramine (Kd = 0.84 +/- 0.11 nM). It is also observed that imipramine treatment significantly reduces 5-HT stimulated [3H]IP3 formation in cerebral cortex (6,411 +/- 708 dpm/mg protein), compared to the saline treated rats (12,238 +/- 1,544 dpm/mg protein; P < 0.001), with concomitant decrease in Pdtlns-4-5-P2. This study suggests that the therapeutic action of imipramine in brain might be by reducing hypersensitivity of 5-HT2 receptors by down regulation, which leads to reduced levels of inositolphospholipids. This inturn reduces the levels of IP3. In conclusion, imipramine acts at presynaptic site by blocking the reuptake of serotonin and at post synaptic site it downregulates 5-HT2 sites with decreased IP3 levels after chronic exposure.

Adenosinergic nature of antidepressant-induced antinociception in mice

The antinociceptive activity of the antidepressant agents imipramine, maprotiline and amitriptyline and their interactions with morphine and aminophylline were evaluated using the acetic acid writhing test of mouse. All the antidepressants induced a dose-dependent antinociceptive activity with a rank of potency was amitriptyline > maprotiline > imipramine. Antinociception was blocked by the pretreatment with 10 mg/kg of aminophylline, suggesting an interaction of these agents with adenosine receptors, which may cause the release of adenosine at neuronal level and depression of neuronal activity by inhibition of neurotransmitter release. Isobolographic analysis demostrated that the simultaneous administration of imipramine or maprotiline plus morphine (10:1 and 4.5:1 respectively) produced a supra-additive interaction, but the combination of amitriptyline and morphine (1:1) resulted in simple additivity. These effects were not antagonized by 1 or 10 mg/kg of aminophylline. The interaction between morphine and antidepressants seems to be due to an upregulated neuronal activity (i.e. indirect antagonism of the effect of the tricyclic agents) which could be dependent on the pharmacological profile of antidepressants with respect to their inhibition of bioamines uptake. Since antinociception was induced by acute administration of antidepressants, this action seems to be independent of antidepressive properties, which are obtained only after chronical administration. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Repeated treatment with antidepressant drugs induces subsensitivity to the excitatory effect of 5-HT4 receptor activation in the rat hippocampus.

The effect of repeated treatment with various antidepressant drugs on the reactivity of CA1 neurons to the 5-HT4 receptor agonist zacopride was examined. Zacopride decreased the calcium-activated afterhyperpolarization and adaptation, it also elicited a slow membrane depolarization associated with an increase in input resistance. All those effects may have contributed to the zacopride-induced increase in the amplitude of population spikes, evoked in the CA1 cell layer by stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway. The later effect of zacopride was concentration-dependent and was antagonized by the 5-HT4 receptor antagonist DAU 62805. Repeated (14 days, twice daily), but not single, administration of the antidepressant drugs imipramine, citalopram, fluvoxamine and paroxetine (10 mg/kg) attenuated the effect of zacopride on population spikes. Because inhibitory 5-HT1A and excitatory 5-HT4 receptors are colocalized on pyramidal neurons, and our previous data demonstrated an increase in the 5-HT1A receptor-mediated inhibition after repeated treatment with antidepressants, we conclude that treatment with antidepressant drugs may enhance the inhibitory effect of 5-HT directly, by increasing the 5-HT1A receptor responsiveness, and indirectly, by inducing subsensitivity to the 5-HT4 receptor activation.

Antidepressant-like effects of 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid and d-cycloserine in an animal model of depression

Antidepressant activity of partial agonists at strychnine-insensitive glycine receptors, l-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid (ACPC) and d-cycloserine, was studied in a chronic mild stress model of depression. In this model, a substantial decrease in consumption of a palatable sucrose solution is observed over time in rats subjected to a variety of mild stressors. This decrement can be reversed by chronic administration of antidepressant drugs. Chronic (5 weeks) treatment with ACPC gradually reversed chronic mild stress-induced reductions in sucrose consumption, and the magnitude of this effect was comparable to that observed following similar administration of imipramine (10 mg/kg). The time-course for reversal of chronic mild stress-induced deficits in sucrose consumption by ACPC was dose-dependent. Thus, the first statistically significant effect of the low dose of ACPC (100 mg/kg) was observed after four weeks of treatment (comparable to the 3–5 weeks required for imipramine), while only two weeks of treatment was required in the group receiving a higher dose (200 mg/kg) of ACPC. Like imipramine, reversal of chronic mild stress-induced deficits in sucrose consumption by ACPC persisted for at least one week following cessation of treatment. The effects of chronic d-cycloserine were variable, and apparently not dose-related in the chronic mild stress model. d-cycloserine (10 mg/kg) increased sucrose intake in stressed animals, but the magnitude of this effect was smaller than in either imipramine or ACPC treated animals. Lower (2.5 mg/kg) and higher (40, 100 mg/kg) doses of d-cycloserine were ineffective. These results suggest that ACPC may have antidepressant properties comparable to conventional drugs, but with a faster onset of action.

Imipramine increases the 5-HT 1A receptor-mediated inhibition of hippocampal neurons without changing the 5-HT 1A receptor binding

The effect of repeated treatment with imipramine on the 5-HT 1A receptor-mediated inhibition of a population spike was studied in the rat CA1 hippocampal region ex vivo. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and the selective 5-HT 1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) decreased dose-dependently the amplitude of population spikes; this effect was blocked by the selective 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist (S)- N-tert-butyl-3-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-2-phenylpropanamide dihydrochloride [(S)-WAY 100135]. Repeated (14 days, twice daily), but not single, administration of imipramine (10 mg/kg) shifted the dose-response curves for serotonin and 8-OH-DPAT to the left. Repeated treatment with imipramine did not change the density of 5-HT 1A receptors in the hippocampus as measured by autoradiography using [ 3H]8-OH-DPAT as a ligand. The latter findings indicate that the imipramine-induced increase in the responsiveness of hippocampal neurons to stimulation of 5-HT 1A receptors may not involve an increase in the density of this receptor subtype. To find out whether the efficacy of the postreceptor transduction mechanism is changed by repeated treatment with imipramine, we examined the effect of baclofen. The baclofen-induced inhibition of the population spike was not changed by imipramine. Our results suggest that repeated treatment with imipramine induces sensitization to the inhibitory effects of 5-HT 1A receptor agonists in the hippocampus.