Publication details
Antidepressant-like effects of amisulpride in bubectomized male rats
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2002 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Neuroscience in the Third Millennium, X. International Congress of the Czech and Slovak Neurochemical Society |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical chemistry |
| Keywords | antidepressant; olfactory bulbectomy; amisulpride; rat |
| Description | Amisulpride is a benzamide derivative with unique neurochemical and psychopharmacological profiles, characterized by a preferential blockade of dopamine D2/D3 presynaptic autoreceptors in the limbic structures (Schoemaker et al., 1997) after low dosing and antagonism at postsynaptic D receptors after high doses (Coukell et al., 1996). There are clinical reports available about both antidepressant (in low dopaminergic doses) and antipsychotic (in high antidopaminergic doses) effects of amisulpride. Rats with bilateral lesion of the olfactory bulb (OB rats) which are used as an animal model resembling behavioural and endocrine changes found in human depression were used in the present study to examine potential antidepressant effects of amisulpride. OB rats show significant increase in ambulation and rearing scores in "open-field" tests (Leonard, 1983) which is suppressed by clinically used antidepressants. Thus, both acute and repeated amisulpride treatment on locomotor behaviour (ambulation) in sham-operated and bulbectomized rats were studied in an open field arena of the infrared beam-based system (Acti-track, Panlab, Spain). There was no effect on locomotion after a single dose nor after 7 day amisulpride medication (3.5 mg/kg/d i.p.) in both sham-operated and OB rats. However, on the contrary to sham-operated animals (no changes in locomotion) the hyperactive OB rats responded to the prolonged (another 7 days) amisulpride medication (with higher dose of 7.0 mg/kg/day i.p.) with a significant decrease of their hyperactive ambulation. These results provide further support for announced preclinical and clinical suggestions that amisulpride at least at some doses possesses potent antidepressant activity. |
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