Several 5-HT uptake inhibitors, established and potential antidepressant drugs, were tested for their ability to counteract contractions of the rat isolated stomach fundus strip induced by 5-HT and BaCl2. Of 12 inhibitors tested, only doxepine, amitriptyline, clomipramine, imipramine, Ro 11-2465 (cyan-imipramine), citalopram and fluvoxamine antagonized the contraction induced by 10(-6) M 5-HT with IC50 values below 10(-4) M. Amitriptyline, doxepine and cyproheptadine, at concentrations inhibiting the effect of 5-HT, did not antagonize the strip contractions induced by 3 X 10(-3) M BaCl2, while the remaining compounds that antagonized 5-HT-induced contractions, also antagonized--with at least a similar potency--the contractions induced by BaCl2. From among antidepressant compounds investigated, only doxepine and amitriptyline may be regarded as antagonists of the 5-HT receptor in the rat stomach strip.

Ro 11-2465, a selective inhibitor of serotonin uptake of the imipramine group, was examined for its central and peripheral antiserotonin activity. Ro 11-2465 (10 mg/kg) antagonized the stimulation of the hind limb flexor reflex in the spinal rat evoked by serotonin agonists of direct mode of action (LSD, quipazine, m-chlorophenylpiperazine). However, in doses up to 20 mg/kg it did not inhibit the clonidine-induced stimulation of the flexor reflex. It also reduced the number of the quipazine-induced head twitches in rats (ID50 = 20.1 mg/kg) and, in doses 0.3--10.0 mg/kg, dose-dependently attenuated the pressor response to serotonin in the pithed rat. Like doxepine, amitriptyline, clomipramine and imipramine, Ro 11-2465 reduced the serotonin-induced contractions of the rat stomach fundus strip (its IC50 = 5 x 10(-5) M). The obtained results indicate that like other tricyclic inhibitors of serotonin uptake, Ro 11-2465 may also weakly block the postsynaptic serotonin receptors. Additional studies with fluoxetine and Org 6582 indicate that anti-serotonin properties of tricyclic compounds are not related to the serotonin uptake blocking properties.

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Well established as supposed antidepressant drugs, desipramine (1.25-5 mg/kg), nisoxetine (0.625-2.5 mg/kg) and clomipramine (1.25-5 mg/kg) but not fluoxetine (2.5-40 mg/kg) or citalopram (2.5-40 mg/kg) dose-dependently potentiated TRH (40 mg/kg)-induced hyperthermia in mice. Alpha-adrenergic blocking agents, phenoxybenzamine (20 mg/kg) and prazosin (5 mg/kg), which when given alone lowered body temperature, did not prevent the thermogenic effect of TRH but completely abolished the potentiating effect of clomipramine and almost completely antagonized the same effect of desipramine. The potentiating effect of desipramine on TRH-induced hyperthermia was also attenuated by 4 mg/kg l-propranolol but not by the same dose of d-propranolol. l-Propranolol (4 mg/kg) did not affect the potentiating effect of clomipramine. Cyproheptadine (5 mg/kg), an antagonist of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors (which, like the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, produced hypothermia in normal mice) did not prevent the effects of clomipramine or desipramine. We conclude that a noradrenergic rather than a 5-hydroxytryptaminergic mechanism is involved in the potentiating effect of antidepressant drugs on TRH-induced hyperthermia. Hence, screening tests for antidepressants, which are based on the potentiation of the TRH-induced hyperthermia will always result in false negatives for antidepressants, such as citalopram, which are highly selective inhibitors of the uptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine.