Clinical observations suggest the involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in depressive illness. There is no clear cut evidence that nicotine produces an antidepressant effect. The antidepressant effect was assessed by the forced swimming test using male albino mice. Nicotine (1.2 mg/kg s.c.) given 15 min. before the test exerted no effect on immobility. Given 30 min before th...

BACKGROUND The safety and tolerability of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and the newer atypical agents have led to a significant increase in antidepressant use. These changes raise concern as to the likelihood of a corresponding increase in adverse behavioral reactions attributable to these drugs. METHOD All admissions to a university-based general hospital psychiatric unit durin...

[figure: see text] A tandem anionic 5-exo-dig cyclization/Claisen rearrangement sequence was used to effect a facile, "one-pot" conversion of an appropriately substituted 4-alkyn-1-ol to the tetracyclic carbon core structure of phorbol. The synthesis was conducted using readily available nonracemic starting materials to provide the target structure as a single enantiomer in high chemical yield.

Introduction: Major depressive disorder is often associated with suicidal tendencies, and this condition accentuates the need for rapid-acting antidepressants. We previously reported that alkaloids (ALK) from Trichilia monadelpha possess antidepressant action in acute animal models of depression and that this effect is mediated through the monoamine and L-arginine-NO-cGMP pathways. This study i...

Patients suffering from major depression often experience memory deficits even after the remission of mood symptoms, and many antidepressant drugs do not affect, or impair, memory in animals and humans. However, some antidepressant drugs, after a single dose, enhance cognition in humans (Harmer et al., 2009). To compare different classes of antidepressant drugs for their potential as memory enh...

Background N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, like ketamine, produce a rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effect. Although the mechanism is not completely understood, ketamine is thought to preferentially target N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors on fast-spiking parvalbumin-containing interneurons. The function of parvalbumin-containing interneurons is dependent on perineuronal ne...

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of combined treatment of male Wistar rats with pramipexole and fluoxetine or sertraline in the forced swimming test. The obtained results showed that co-treatment with pramipexole (0.1 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) or sertraline (5 mg/kg) (in doses inactive per se) exhibited antidepressant-like activity in the forced swimming test. Sulpi...

objective: depression is a major health problem, which is not only underrecognized and undertreated, but is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. it has been suggested that combination therapy rapidly reduces depressive symptoms in patients with moderate to severe depression and is more effective than monotherapy; but this suggestion remains controversial. serotonergic and n...

We evaluated the antidepressant-like effect of kaempferitrin (Km) isolated from the plant Justicia spicigera (Asteraceae), which is used in traditional medicine for relieving emotional disorders, such as "la tristeza" (sadness or dysthymia) and "el humor" (mood changes). The actions of Km were evaluated in a forced swimming test (FST) and a suspension tail test (TST) in mice. We explored the in...

Objective: Rosa damascena mill L (R. damascena) is an ornamental plant that has several therapeutic (such as sedative and hypnotic) effects. It also heals depression, grief, nervous stress and tension. In the present study we evaluated antidepressant-like effect of R. damascena using forced swimming test (FST). Material and Methods: Three doses of aqueous extract (15, 60 and 90 mg/kg) was inje...