Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-495rp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-15T10:20:36.357Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lack of effect of eicosapentaenoic acid in the Porsolt forced swimming test model of depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Alona Shaldubina ,
Boris Nemets  and
Yuly Bersudsky
Alona Shaldubina
Affiliation:
Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
Boris Nemets
Affiliation:
Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
Yuly Bersudsky*
Affiliation:
Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
*
Yuly Bersudsky MD, Beer-Sheba Mental Health Center, PO Box 4600, Beer-Sheba, Israel. Tel: 972 7 640-1602; Fax: 972 7 640-1621; E-mail: yuly@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is one of the major components of fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have been hypothesized to play a role in the etiology, pathogenesis and treatment of mood disorders. Clinical studies have shown beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids in major depression, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric disorders.

Objective:

The present study design evaluates the effect of EPA in the Porsolt forced swimming test.

Results:

EPA alone did not reduce the immobility time and did not enhance the anti-immobility effect of a low dose of imipramine. Contrary to the hypothesis, EPA slightly increased the immobility time, and in some experiments tended to reduce the anti-despair effect of imipramine.

Conclusion:

The present results do not provide an animal model for the antidepressant effect of EPA as demonstrated in clinical experiments. The mechanism of EPA antidepressant action is unknown and the Porsolt forced swimming test could be non-sensitive for its antidepressant properties.

Keywords

depressioneicosapentenoic acid (EPA)omega-3Porsolt forced swimming test
Type
Original Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 14 , Issue 5 , October 2002 , pp. 203 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © Acta Neuropsychiatrica 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Favreliere, S, Barrier, L, Durand, G, Chalon, S, Tallineau, C. Chronic dietary ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids deficiency affects the fatty acid composition of plasmenylethanolamine and phosphatidylethanolamine differently in rat frontal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum. Lipids 1998;33: 401–407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Connor, WE, Neuringer, M. The effects of ω-3 fatty acid deficiency and repletion upon the fatty acid composition and function of the brain and retina. Progr Clin Biol Res 1988;282: 275–294. Google Scholar
Delion, S, Chalon, S, Guilloteau, D, Lejeune, B, Besnard, JC, Durand, G. Age-related changes in phospholipid fatty acid composition and monoaminergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus of rats fed a balanced or an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-deficient diet. J Lipid Res 1997;38: 680–689.Google Scholar
Nanjo, A, Kanazawa, A, Sato, K, Banno, F, Fujimoto, K. Depletion of dietary ω-3 fatty acid affects the level of cyclic AMP in rat hippocampus. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1999;45: 633–641.Google Scholar
Speizer, LA, Watson, MJ, Brunton, LL. Differential effects of omega-3 fish oils on protein kinase activities in vitro. Am J Physiol 1991;261(1 Part 1):E109–114.Google ScholarPubMed
Salem, NJr, Moriguchi, T, Greiner, RS, McBride, K, Ahmad, A, Catalan, JN, Slotnick, B. Alterations in brain function after loss of docosahexaenoate due to dietary restriction of ω-3 fatty acids. J Mol Neurosci 2001;16: 299–307.Google Scholar
Villarroel, A, Schwarz, TL. Inhibition of the Kv4 (Shal) family of transient K+ currents by arachidonic acid. J Neurosci 1996;16: 1016–1025.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hibbeln, JR. Fish consumption and major depression. Lancet 1998;351: 1213.Google Scholar
Maes, M, Christophe, A, Delanghe, J, Altamura, C, Neels, H, Meltzer, HY. Lowered omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids and cholesteryl esters of depressed patients. Psychiatry Res 1999;85: 275–291.Google Scholar
Maes, M, Smith, RS. Fatty acids, cytokines, and major depression. Biol Psychiatry 1998;43: 313–314.Google Scholar
Chalon, S, Delion-Vancassel, S, Belzung, C, Guilloteau, D, Leguisquet, AM, Besnard, JC, Durand, G. Dietary fish oil affects monoaminergic neurotransmission and behavior in rats. J Nutr 1998;128: 2512–2519.Google Scholar
Puri, BK, Counsell, SJ, Hamilton, G, Richardson, AJ, Horrobin, DF. Eicosapentaenoic acid in treatment-resistant depression associated with symptom remission, structural brain changes and reduced neuronal phospholipid turnover. Int J Clin Pract 2001;55: 560–563.Google Scholar
Stoll, AL, Severus, WE, Freeman, MP, Rueter, S, Zboyan, HA, Diamond, E, Cress, KK, Marangell, LB. Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: a preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arch General Psychiatry 1999;56: 407–412. Google Scholar
Rudin, DO. The major psychoses and neuroses as omega-3 essential fatty acid deficiency syndrome: substrate pellagra. Biol Psychiatry 1981;16: 837–850.Google Scholar
Nemets, B, Stahl, Z, Belmaker, RH. Addition of omega-3 Fatty Acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159: 477–479.Google Scholar
Porsolt, RD, Bertin, A, Blavet, N, Deniel, M, Jalfre, M. Immobility induced by forced swimming in rats: effects of agents which modify central catecholamine and serotonin activity. Eur J Pharmacol 1979;57: 201–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Danisz, W, Archer, T, Fowler, CJ. Screening for antidepressant compounds. In: Willner, P, eds. Behavioural Models in Psychopharmacology: Theoretical, Industrial and Clinical Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991: 140. Google Scholar
Redrobe, JP, Bourin, M. Dose-dependent influence of buspirone on the activities of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the mouse forced swimming test. Psychopharmacol 1998;138: 198–206. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Renard, CE, Fiocco, AJ, Clenet, F, Hascoet, M, Bourin, M. Is dopamine implicated in the antidepressant-like effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the mouse forced swimming test? Psychopharmacol 2001;159: 42–50. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gorka, Z, Wojtasik, E, Kwiatek, H, Maj, J. Action of serotoninmimetics in the behavioral despair test in rats. Commun Psychopharmacol 1979;3: 133–136.Google ScholarPubMed
Nomura, S, Shimizu, J, Kametani, H, Kinjo, M, Watanabe, M, Nakazava, T. Swimming in mice: in search of an animal model for human depression. In: Langer, SZ, Takahashi, R, Segava, T, Briley, N, eds. New Vistas in Depression. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1982: 203–210. Google Scholar
Danysz, W, Plaznik, A, Kostowski, W, Malatynska, E, Jarbe, TU, Hiltunen, AJ, Archer, T. Comparison of desipramine, amitriptyline, zimeldine and alaproclate in six animal models used to investigate antidepressant drugs. Pharmacol Toxicol 1988;62: 42–50.Google Scholar
Takamori, K, Yoshida, S, Okuyama, S. Availability of learned helplessness test as a model of depression compared to a forced swimming test in rats. Pharmacol 2001;63: 147–153. Google Scholar