2. Academic Validation
  3. Agmatine enhances antidepressant potency of MK-801 and conventional antidepressants in mice

Agmatine enhances antidepressant potency of MK-801 and conventional antidepressants in mice

  • Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2015 Mar;130:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2014.12.009.
Vivian Binder Neis 1,  Morgana Moretti 2,  Luana Meller Manosso 1,  Mark W Lopes 1,  Rodrigo Bainy Leal 3,  Ana Lúcia S Rodrigues 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
  • 2 Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Department of Natural Sciences, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Blumenau 89012-900, SC, Brazil.
  • 3 Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Biochemistry Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
  • 4 Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Biochemistry Graduate Program, Center of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: alsrodri@gmail.com.
PMID: 25553821 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2014.12.009
Abstract

Agmatine, an endogenous guanidine amine, has been shown to produce antidepressant-like effects in animal studies. This study investigated the effects of the combined administration of agmatine with either conventional monoaminergic antidepressants or the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 in the tail suspension test (TST) in mice. The aim was to evaluate the extent of the antidepressant synergism by examining the ability of a fixed dose of agmatine to shift the antidepressant potency of fluoxetine, imipramine, bupropion and MK-801. A sub-effective dose of agmatine (0.0001 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased the potency by which fluoxetine, imipramine, bupropion and MK-801 decreased immobility time in the TST by 2-fold (fluoxetine), 10-fold (imipramine and bupropion) and 100-fold (MK-801). Combined with previous evidence indicating a role of monoaminergic systems in the effect of agmatine, the current data suggest that agmatine may modulate monoaminergic neurotransmission and augment the activity of conventional antidepressants. Moreover, this study found that agmatine substantially augmented the antidepressant-like effect of MK-801, reinforcing the notion that this compound modulates NMDA Receptor activation. These preclinical data may stimulate future clinical studies testing the effects of augmentation therapy with agmatine for the management of depressive disorders.

Keywords

Agmatine; Antidepressants; Depression; NMDA.

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