Abstract
Animals were injected with 20 mg/kg desipramine (DMI) 1 h (acute) or 24, 5 and 1 h (subchronic) or once daily for 7 consecutive days (chronic) before the forced swimming test (FST). DMI was also injected at a dose of 40 mg/kg acutely. Animals were killed immediately after test for evaluation of brain concentrations of DMI and its demethylated metabolite desmethyldesipramine (DDMI). Acute and chronic DMI 20 mg/kg gave rise to similar brain concentrations but only chronic DMI was active on FST. Acute DMI 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg gave rise to different brain concentrations but similar effects on FST. DDMI concentrations were similar after the various DMI treatments. Results seem to indicate that no relationship exists between effect of DMI on FST and brain concentrations of either DMI or DDMI.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barkai AI, Suckov RF, Cooper TB (1984) Imipramine and its metabolites: relationship to cerebral catecholamines in rats in vivo. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 230:330–335
Borsini F (1985) Randomization program for Apple IIe computer. Brain Res Bull 15:279–281
Borsini F, Novakowska E, Samanin R (1984) Effect of repeated treatment with desipramine in the behavioral “despair” test in rats: antagonism by “atypical” but not “classical” neuroleptics or antiadrenergic drugs. Life Sci 34:1171–1176
Dingell JV, Sulser F, Gillette JR (1963) Species differences in the metabolism of imipramine and desmethylimipramine (DMI). J Pharmacol Exp Ther 143:14–22
Kitada Y, Miyauchi T, Kasasa T, Satoh S (1986) The significance of β-adrenoceptor down regulation in desipramine action in the forced swimming test. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 33:31–35
Poncelet M, Gaudel G, Danti S, Soubriè Ph, Simon P (1986) Acute versus repeated administration of desipramine in rats and mice: relationship between brain concentration and reduction of immobility in the swimming test. Psychopharmacology 90:139–141
Porsolt RD, Anton G, Blavet N, Jalfre M (1978) Behavioural despair in rats: a new model sensitive to antidepressant treatment. Eur J Pharmacol 47:379–391
Pulvirenti L, Samanin R (1986) Antagonism by dopamine, but not noradrenaline receptor blockers of the antiimmobility activity of desipramine after different treatment schedules in the rat. Pharmacol Res Commun 18:73–80
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mancinelli, A., D'Aranno, V., Borsini, F. et al. Lack of relationship between effect of desipramine on forced swimming test and brain levels of desipramine or its demethylated metabolite in rats. Psychopharmacology 92, 441–443 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176475
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176475