Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quipazine, a new type of antidepressant agent

  • Original Investigations
  • Animal Studies
  • Published:
Psychopharmacologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Quipazine, (2-(1-piperazinyl)quinoline), is comparable to the tricyclic antidepressants in many of its pharmacological effects. Common properties include the ability to antagonize reserpine and tetrabenazine sedation in mice and rats, to reverse reserpine hypothermia in rats and to inhibit selectively the mouse-killing behavior of rats. In all these actions, quipazine is approximately equipotent with imipramine, desipramine and amitriptyline. Quipazine is far less effective than imipramine in potentiating the locomotor stimulation elicited by d-amphetamine. Quipazine differs from tricyclic antidepressants in that it does not enhance responses induced by exogenous or endogenous norepinephrine and does not block the effects of indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines. Furthermore, quipazine, unlike imipramine, counteracts tetrabenazine induced sedation in catecholamine depleted animals. These findings suggest that the pharmacological actions of quipazine do not involve adrenergic mechanisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Axelrod, J., Whitby, L. G., Hertting, G.: Effect of psychotropic drugs on the up-take of H3-norepinephrine by tissues. Science 133, 383–384 (1961).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bogdanski, D. F., Weissbach, H., Udenfriend, S.: Pharmacological studies with the serotonin precursor, 5-hydroxytryptophan. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 122, 182–194 (1958).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cairncross, K. D.: On the peripheral pharmacology of amitriptyline. Arch. int. Pharmacodyn. 154, 438–448 (1965).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson, A., Corrodi, H., Fuxe, K., Hökfelt, T.: Effect of antidepressant drugs on the depletion of intraneuronal brain 5-hydroxytryptamine stores caused by 4-methyl-α-ethyl-meta-tyramine. Europ. J. Pharmacol. 5, 357–366 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —, Fuxe, K., Hamberger, B., Lindqvist, N.: Biochemical and histochemical studies on the effects of imipramine-like drugs and (+)-amphetamine on central and peripheral catecholamine neurons. Acta physiol. scand. 67, 481–497 (1966).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • — —, Ungerstedt, U.: The effect of imipramine on central 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 20, 150–151 (1968).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Corrodi, H., Fuxe, K.: The effect of imipramine on central monoamine neurons. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 20, 230–231 (1968).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. M., Klerman, G. L., Schildkraut, J. J.: Drugs used in the treatment of depression. In: Psychopharmacology: A review of progress, 1957–1967. pp. 719–747. D. H. Efron, Ed. U.S. Public Health Service Publication No. 1836 (1968).

  • Dunham, N. W., Miya, T. S.: A note an o simple device for detecting neurological deficit in rats and mice. J. Amer. pharm. Ass. 46, 208–209 (1957).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuxe, K., Ungerstedt, U.: Localization of 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake in rat brain after intraventricular injection. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 19, 335–337 (1967).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garattini, S., Giachetti, A., Jori, A., Pieri, L., Valzelli, L.: Effect of imipramine, amitriptyline and their monomethyl derivatives on reserpine activity. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 14, 509–514 (1962).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glowinski, J., Axelrod, J.: Inhibition of uptake of tritiated noradrenaline in the intact rat brain by imipramine and structurally related compounds. Nature (Lond.) 204, 1318–1319 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  • — —: Effect of drugs on the uptake, release, and metabolism of H3-norepinephrine in the rat brain. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 149, 43–49 (1965).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guzmán-Flores, C., Pacheco, P., Hong, E., Pardo, E. G.: Some behavioral effects induced by quipazine administration in the cat. Bol. Inst. Estud. Med. Biol. (Mex.) (in press).

  • Gyermek, L.: The pharmacology of imipramine and related antidepressants. Int. Rev. Neurobiol. 9, 95–143 (1966).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • —, Possemato, C.: Potentation of 5-hydroxytryptamine by imipramine. Med. exp. (Basel) 3, 225–229 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertting, G., Axelrod, J., Whitby, L. G.: Effect of drugs on the uptake and metabolism of H3-norepinephrine. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 134, 146–153 (1961).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, S. M., Connamacher, R. H., Ozaki, M., Udenfriend, S.: The effects of α-methyl-dopa and α-methyl-meta-tyrosine on the metabolism of norepinephrine and serotonin in vivo. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 134, 129–138 (1961).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, E., Pardo, E. G.: On the pharmacology of 2-(1-piperazinyl)quinoline. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 153, 259–265 (1966).

    Google Scholar 

  • —, Sancilio, L. F., Vargas, R., Pardo, E. G.: Similarities between the pharmacological actions of quipazine and serotonin. Europ. J. Pharmacol. 6, 274–280 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horovitz, Z. P., Piala, J. J., High, J. P., Burke, J. C., Leaf, R. C.: Effects of drugs on the mouse-killing (muricide) test and its relationship to amygdaloid function. Int. J. Neuropharmacol. 5, 405–411 (1966).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, R.: Über die Behandlung depressiver Zustände mit einem Iminodibenzylderivat (G 22355). Schweiz, med. Wschr. 87, 1135–1140 (1957).

    Google Scholar 

  • Litchfield, J. T., Wilcoxon, F.: A simplified method of evaluating dose-effect experiments. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 96, 99–113 (1949).

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, B. M., Kraus, P. J., Hammes, T. L., Leeling, J. L.: Simultaneous extraction of tissue norepinephrine and serotonin. J. Pharm. Sci. 58, 572–574 (1969).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, B., Malone, M. H., Waugh, M. H., Burke, J. C.: Bioassay of rauwolfia roots and alkaloids. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 120, 125–136 (1957).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ryall, R. W.: Effects of cocaine and antidepressant drugs on the nictitating membrane of the cat. Brit. J. Pharmacol. 17, 339–357 (1961).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheckel, C. L., Boff, E.: Behavioral effects of interacting imipramine and other drugs with d-amphetamine, cocaine, and tetrabenazine. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 5, 198–208 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  • Shore, P. A., Olin, J. S.: Identification and chemical assay of norepinephrine in brain and other tissues. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 122, 295–300 (1958).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sigg, E. B.: Pharmacological studies with tofranil. Canad. Psychiat. Ass. J. 4, 78–85 (1959).

    Google Scholar 

  • —, Soffer, L., Gyermek, L.: Influence of imipramine and related psychoactive agents on the effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine and catecholamines on the cat nictitating membrane. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 142, 13–20 (1963).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, S. H., Axelrod, J., Zweig, M.: A sensitive and specific fluorescence assay for tissue serotonin. Biochem. Pharmacol. 14, 831–835 (1965).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sulser, F., Bickel, M., Brodie, B. B.: The action of desmethylimipramine in counter-acting sedation and cholinergic effects of reserpine-like drugs. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 144, 321–330 (1964).

    Google Scholar 

  • —, Watts, J., Brodie, B. B.: Antagonistic action of imipramine and reserpine on central nervous system. Fed. Proc. 19, 268 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

  • Vernier, V. G., Hanson, H. M., Stone, C. A.: The pharmacodynamics of amitriptyline. In: Psychosomatic Medicine, pp. 683–690. J. H. Nodine and J. H. Moyer, Eds. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wurtman, R. J., Axelrod, J.: A sensitive and specific assay for the estimation of monoamine oxidase. Biochem. Pharmacol. 12, 1439–1441 (1963).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Miles de Terapéutica Experimental, México D.F., México

    Rodolfo Rodríguez & Efraín G. Pardo

Authors
  1. Rodolfo Rodríguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Efraín G. Pardo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

A preliminary report of this work was presented at the II International Seminar on Psychophysiology and Psychopharmacology, Mexico City, Dec. 3, 1969.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rodríguez, R., Pardo, E.G. Quipazine, a new type of antidepressant agent. Psychopharmacologia 21, 89–100 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404000

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404000

Key-Words

Search

Navigation