Recent preclinical studies have revealed a functionally important role for the drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp) at the blood-brain barrier in limiting brain levels and thus antidepressant-like activity of certain antidepressant drugs. Specifically, acute administration of P-gp inhibitors, such as verapamil and cyclosporin A (CsA), has been shown to augment brain concentrations and functio...

Antidepressant drugs such as the serotonin (5-HT)/norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) reuptake inhibitors activate monoaminergic neurotransmission in various brain regions, such as the amygdala, the frontal cortex or the hippocampus. Although this property is well established, the post-synaptic mechanisms by which these pharmacological agents exert therapeutic activity in major depressive dis...

Anxiety and depression are common psychiatric disorders, often requiring prolonged pharmacotherapy with many adverse effects. So, traditionally used medicinal plants may be safer alternatives. Reports of anxiolytic and antidepressant activity of Ocimum sanctum are scarce and no studies are available on the combination of plant extract with reduced dosage of standard drugs. Our aim was to evalua...

Curcumin is the active ingredient of commonly used spice Curuma longa Linn. In the present study, the antidepressant like activity of curcumin and its combination with fluoxetine and imipramine was studied in acute model (three doses 24, 5 and 1 h before test) of forced swimming test (FST) in glass jar and tail suspension test (TST) in mice and in chronic model (14 day study) of FST with water ...

Major depressive disorder is difficult to treat due to its chronic and recurrent nature and the poor performance of most pharmacologic treatment options. To improve patient outcomes, clinicians should become familiar with moderators of antidepressant response, implement measurement-based care, and follow treatment algorithms. The use of electronic medical records and computerized decision suppo...

Behavioral studies show that modulation of the glutamatergic system might be an efficient way to achieve antidepressant activity. Among the group III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors, the mGlu7 receptor subtype seems to be the most promising target for potential antidepressants. It has been shown that a selective, allosteric mGlu7 receptor agonist, N,N'-bis (diphenylmethyl)-1,2-ethanedia...

The trefoil factors (TFFs) are a family of three polypeptides, among which TFF1 and TFF3 are widely distributed in the central nervous system. Our previous study indicated that TFF3 was a potential rapid-onset antidepressant as it reversed the depressive-like behaviors induced by acute or chronic mild stress. In order to further identify the antidepressant-like effect of TFF3, we applied an olf...

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to investigate the putative antidepressant effects of crocin and crocetin, two major active ingredients of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) using mice in two different regimens of acute and sub-acute administration. MATERIAL AND METHODS In acute treatment, antidepressant-like activities of crocin and crocetin (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) were evaluated using...

Several clinical reports have documented a beneficial effect of the addition of a low dose of risperidone to the ongoing treatment with antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), in the treatment of drug-resistant depression and treatment-resistant anxiety disorders. In the present study, we investigated the effect of treatment with the antidepressant escital...

Treatment with different antidepressants is invariably accompanied by the down-regulation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine2A (5-HT2A) receptor. To determine whether receptor down-regulation is an essential part of antidepressant action, we manipulated levels of the 5-HT2A receptor by using a nonpharmacological approach. Here, we report that down-regulation of the 5-HT2A receptor by intracerebroventri...