Behavioral Assessment of Mice Treated with Zinc and Paroxetine
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- Category: Vol. 80, March 2012
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Behavioral Assessment of Mice Treated with Zinc and Paroxetine,HASAN S. AL AMRY
Abstract
Background: Less than half of older patients with major depression disorder (MDD) achieve remission with antidepres-sant medications and rates of remission are even poorer for those with comorbid condition. The addition of another medi-cation to the antidepressant regimen of patients not responding adequately to their treatment has become a common intervention.
Aim of Study: To examine the behavioral changes of acute and subacute intraperitoneal administration of zinc in the forced swimming test (FST) in mice; to investigate if addition of zinc to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor “parexotine” would enhance the antidepressant effect of paroxetine; and to study the effects of combined administration of zinc and paroxetine on spontaneous locomotor activity in mice.
Material and Methods: It has been hypothesized that addition of zinc with its multiple pharmacological effects to the antidepressants may modulate and enhance their efficacy. We investigated the behavioral changes of acute and sub-acute interaction of zinc with paroxtine in the FST in mice. Mice were injected with either paroxtine (20mg/kg); zinc sulfate (40mg/kg) or paroxtine in combination with zinc for one day and one week (once daily).
Results: Significant antidepressant effect of paroxtine alone or zinc alone has been shown in a decrease of immobility and increase of swimming behavior. Also, results showed a significant decrease in the immobility time and increase in the swimming behavior time of the animals treated with zinc in combination with paroxtine as compared with animals treated with either paroxtine or zinc alone. There was no significant difference in the animals’ behavior between acute and sub-acute treatment with zinc or even upon its addition to paroxetine. None of the treatment regimens have shown any significant changes in the animals’ motor activities.
Conclusion: The present study supports the notion that administration of zinc may offer additional antidepressant activity. This combination may have a significant clinical application in psychiatric patients particularly in geriatric patients or other population where zinc level has shown dramatic decrease.