The pharmacodynamics of serotonergic antidepressants that differentially influence serotonin reuptake transporters is poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to compare the biochemical profiles in patients with anxious depression under the treatment with tianeptine, a serotonin reuptake enhancer, and sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) and serum amine oxidase (AO) activities, concentration of middle-mass endotoxic molecules (MMEM) and parameters that characterize the functional properties of serum albumin were investigated in 43 patients with anxious depression (ICD-10: F 32.1 and F 33.1). It was established that, in comparison with healthy controls, patients with anxious depression were characterized by the significant increase in MAO activity (by 95%), MMEM concentration (by 86%), and a significant decrease in AO activity (by 43%) and also in functional albumin activity. The results of the study show that both tianeptine and sertraline are equally effective in the treatment of anxious depression. The present biochemical investigation, however, suggests that the underlying biochemical changes are more complete following tianeptine treatment.

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Comparing our earlier data on chronic schizophrenic patients with present data, we hypothesise that FES patients are at the stage that leads to a stable, pathological state of metabolism.

The pathogenetic mechanisms of hyperkinetic syndrome are not clear and need further investigation. The aim of the study was to find certain features of monoamine metabolism that are characteristic of children with hyperkinetic syndrome (HKS) with special regard to different degrees of severity (i.e. mild HKS and severe HKS ). The levels of L-dopa, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, homovanillic, vanillylmandelic and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acids were measured in daily urine of children (7-11 years old) with mild and severe HKS using fluorimetric and chromatographic methods. Severe HKS was characterized by a significant increase of L-dopa (by 186%), dopamine (by 201%) and adrenaline (by 160%) excretion but an unchanged excretion of noradrenaline compared with those with mild HKS. The study revealed principle differences in monoamine metabolism between the mild and severe forms of HKS which may be of importance in deciding different pharmacotherapeutic approaches to use in patients with HKS of differing severity.

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