Summary
We have investigated the effect of SR 57227A, a selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist which crosses the blood brain barrier, on three rodent models in which antidepressants are active. In the forced swimming test, SR 57227A dose-dependently reduced the duration of immobility in mice and rats after i.p. administration. (ED50=14.2mg/kg i.p. in mice, and 7.6 mg/kg i.p. in rats.) The compound was also active in both species after oral administration. In a time-course study in mice, SR 57227A (20 mg/kg p.o.) produced a significant effect lasting 6 h. SR 57227A (1 and 3 mg/kg i.p.) reduced the elevation of the escape failures in the learned helplessness model in rats by 50–60% on the last two days of the avoidance task, and reduced isolation-induced aggressivity in mice by 50 to 85%, an effect which was antagonised by zacopride (1 mg/kg i.p.). These results suggest that the stimulation of 5-HT3 receptors can produce antidepressant-like effects in behavioural tests in rodents.
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Poncelet, M., Pério, A., Simiand, J. et al. Antidepressant-like effects of SR 57227A, a 5-HT3 receptor agonist, in rodents. J. Neural Transmission 102, 83–90 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276504
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01276504