The aim of this study was to further characterize pharmacological properties of two phenylpiperazine derivatives: 1-{2-[2-(2,6-dimethlphenoxy)ethoxy]ethyl}-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazynine hydrochloride (HBK-14) and 2-[2-(2-chloro-6-methylphenoxy)ethoxy]ethyl-4-(2- methoxyphenyl)piperazynine dihydrochloride (HBK-15) in radioligand binding and functional in vitro assays as well as in vivo models....

Acute fasting induced antidepressant-like effects. However, the exact brain region and mechanism of these actions are still largely unknown. Therefore, in this study the antidepressant-like effects of acute fasting on c-Fos expression and BDNF levels were investigated. Consistent with our previous findings, immobility time was remarkably shortened by 9 hrs fasting in the forced swimming test. F...

BACKGROUND Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the subgenual cingulate cortex (SCC) is a promising therapeutic alternative to treat resistant major depressive disorder. In preclinical studies, DBS of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC, the rodent SCC correlate) provokes an antidepressant-like effect, along with changes in noradrenaline levels at the site of stimulation. Hence, DBS appears to...

The aim of the present study was to examine a potential anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like action of (+)-7-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin hydrobromide (7-OH-DPAT), a preferential dopamine D(3) receptor agonist, and N-{4-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]butyl}-2-naphthylcarboxamide (BP 897), a partial dopamine D(3) receptor agonist, in male Wistar rats. Diazepam or imipramine were used ...

Recent preclinical data have suggested that glutamate NMDA receptor may be involved in the mechanism of action of antidepressant treatments. Functional antagonists of the NMDA receptor complex exhibit an antidepressant-like effect in animal tests that predict antidepressant activity and in animal models of depression. Zinc, a very potent inhibitor of the NMDA receptor, is active in the forced s...

Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the antidepressant and nootropic potential of aqueous extract of Indigofera tinctoria (ITAE). Methods: Antidepressant activity of ITAE was evaluated in mice by using the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test tail suspension test and tetrabenazine induced catalepsy and ptosis models at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg orally. Nootropic act...

The dichloromethane fraction of Hedranthera barteri (DMHBR), a common medicinal plant, was investigated in animal models of depression and anxiety in mice. Graded doses (25-200mg/kg p.o. bw) of DMHBR reduced the immobility time with significant effects produced by 50mg/kg (43.7%), 100mg/kg (45.6%) and 200mg/kg (31.5%) in the tail suspension test (TST) and by 100mg/kg (66.3%) in forced swimming ...

Introduction: Ferulic acid, a phenolic phytochemical with neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, has shown promising antidepressant-like effects in behavioral studies; however, its mechanism(s) of action have not been fully understood. Based on the contribution of nerve growth factor (NGF) and endocannabinoid signaling (eCBs) to the emotional or antidepressant activ...

OBJECTIVE We sought to demonstrate whether the specific activation of serotonin1B (5-HT1B) heteroreceptors by systemic or local administration of the selective 5-HT1B receptor agonist anpirtoline could mediate antidepressant-like effects in mice. METHODS We confirmed the selectivity of action of anpirtoline in the forced swim test (FST) in 5-HT1B knockout mice. We then evaluated the behaviour...