1 Sibutramine is a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (serotoninnoradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, SNRI) which is currently being developed as a treatment for obesity. Sibutramine has been shown to decrease food intake in the rat. In this study we have used a variety of monoamine receptor antagonists to examine the pharmacological mechanisms underlying sibutramineinduced hypophagia. 2 Individually-housed male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on reversed phase lighting with free access to food and water. Drugs were administered at 09 h 00 min and food intake was monitored over the following 8 h dark period. 3 Sibutramine (10 mg kg 71 , p.o.) produced a signi®cant decrease in food intake during the 8 h following drug administration. This hypophagic response was fully antagonized by the a 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (0.3 and 1 mg kg 71 , i.p.), and partially antagonized by the b 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist, metoprolol (3 and 10 mg kg 71 , i.p.) and the 5-HT receptor antagonists, metergoline (nonselective; 0.3 mg kg 71 , i.p.); ritanserin (5-HT 2A/2C ; 0.1 and 0.5 mg kg 71 , i.p.) and SB200646 (5-HT 2B/2C ; 20 and 40 mg kg 71 , p.o.). 4 By contrast, the a 2 -adrenoceptor antagonist, RX821002 (0.3 and 1 mg kg 71 , i.p.) and the b 2 -adrenoceptor antagonist, ICI 118,551 (3 and 10 mg kg 71 , i.p.) did not reduce the decrease in food intake induced by sibutramine. 5 These results demonstrate that b 1 -adrenoceptors, 5-HT 2A/2C -receptors and particularly a 1 -adrenoceptors, are involved in the e ects of sibutramine on food intake and are consistent with the hypothesis that sibutramine-induced hypophagia is related to its ability to inhibit the reuptake of both noradrenaline and 5-HT, with the subsequent activation of a variety of noradrenaline and 5-HT receptor systems.

1 The e ects of the potent 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, SNRI), sibutramine, on the cumulative food intake of freely-feeding male Sprague-Dawley rats during an 8 h dark period were investigated and compared to those of the selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI),¯uoxetine; the selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, nisoxetine; the 5-HT and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, venlafaxine and duloxetine; and the 5-HT releaser and 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, (+)-fen¯uramine. 2 Sibutramine (3 and 10 mg kg 71 , p.o.) and (+)-fen¯uramine (1 and 3 mg kg 71 , p.o.) produced a signi®cant, dose-dependent decrease in food intake over the 8 h dark period. These responses became apparent within the ®rst 2 h following drug administration. 3 Fluoxetine (3, 10 and 30 mg kg 71 , p.o.), and nisoxetine (3, 10 and 30 mg kg 71 , p.o.) had no signi®cant e ect on food intake during the 8 h dark period. However, a combination of¯uoxetine and nisoxetine (30 mg kg 71 , p.o., of each) signi®cantly decreased food intake 2 and 8 h after drug administration. 4 Venlafaxine (100 and 300 mg kg 71 , p.o.) and duloxetine (30 mg kg 71 , p.o.) also signi®cantly decreased food intake in the 2 and 8 h following drug administration. 5 The results of this study demonstrate that inhibition of 5-HT and noradrenaline reuptake by sibutramine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, or by a combination of¯uoxetine and nisoxetine, markedly reduces food intake in freely-feeding rats and suggest that this may be a novel approach for the treatment of obesity.