Acetylcarnitine reduces the immobility of rats in a despair test (constrained swim)

Male rats forced to swim in a cylinder adopted an immobile posture. Immobility was reduced by acetylcarnitine (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) and by antidepressant drugs, such as desipramine and iproniazid, injected 24, 5, and, again, 1 h prior to behavioral testing. Acetylcarnitine also potentiated the anti-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBehavioral and neural biology Vol. 54; no. 2; p. 110
Main Authors Pulvirenti, G, Valerio, C, Spadaro, F, D'Agata, V, Freni, V, Nardo, L, Drago, F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.1990
Subjects
Acetylcarnitine - pharmacology
Animals
Arousal - drug effects
Desipramine - pharmacology
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drug Synergism
Escape Reaction - drug effects
Iproniazid - pharmacology
Male
Motivation
Motor Activity - drug effects
Rats
Rats, Inbred Strains
Swimming
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Summary:Male rats forced to swim in a cylinder adopted an immobile posture. Immobility was reduced by acetylcarnitine (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) and by antidepressant drugs, such as desipramine and iproniazid, injected 24, 5, and, again, 1 h prior to behavioral testing. Acetylcarnitine also potentiated the anti-immobility effect of antidepressant drugs in the despair test. Chronic (10 days) treatment with acetylcarnitine mimicked the effect found after acute administration. It is possible that the action of the acetylcarnitine on the despair test is indicative of an antidepressant activity of this drug that is dependent on a change in the sensitivity of monoamine receptors in the brain.
ISSN:0163-1047
DOI:10.1016/0163-1047(90)91296-N