International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences EVALUATION OF ANTIDEPRESSANT -LIKE ACTIVITY OF TAPENTADOL IN SWISS ALBINO MICE. B.RAMANATH ROYAL*

Objective: To evaluate antidepressant like activity of tapentadol in Swiss albino mice. Materials and Methods: Tapentadol was administered at three different doses (10, 20 and 40mg/kg i.p) once daily for 7 days to Swiss albino mice of either sex. The immobility period of control and drug treated mice were recorded in Forced swim test (FST). The antidepressant activity of tapentadol was compared to that of fluoxetine (20mg/kg i.p), administered for 7 days. A locomotor activity test was carried out to ascertain whether the antidepressant effect of tapentadol included general CNS stimulation. Results: Tapentadol produced significant antidepressant activity at all the 3 doses, as indicated by reduction in immobility times as compared to control. The efficacy of tapentadol at doses of 20 and 40mg/kg was comparable with that of fluoxetine. Tapentadol at 10mg/kg dose showed significantly less antidepressant activity compared to fluoxetine. Tapentadol did not show significant effect on locomotor activity of mice. Conclusion: The result of the present study indicates antidepressant like activity of