The effects of tianeptine and other antidepressants on a rat model of depression.

A model of depression based on measurements made after restraining rats for two hours has been developed. The model is associated with elevation in corticosterone, reflects the higher incidence of depression in women, and shows increased post-synaptic 5-HT function with adaptation. The effects of tianeptine and other antidepressants on the model were studied. Chronic pre-treatment with desipramine, sertraline (amine uptake inhibitors), and chlordiazepoxide normalised open field activity after restraint. Single high doses, post-restraint, of 8-OH-DPAT, gepirone (5-HT agonists), and tianeptine normalised open field activity, whereas desipramine, chlordiazepoxide, and diazepam did not. It is of considerable interest that tianeptine decreased the availability of 5-HT to receptors.