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      Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity, effect on blood pressure & gastric tolerability of antidepressants

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          Abstract

          Background & objectives:

          Antidepressants are being used as analgesics for various pain related disorders like neuropathic and non neuropathic pain. Although their analgesic activity is well recognized but anti-inflammatory potential of antidepressants is still inconclusive. Since the antidepressants are used for longer duration, it becomes important to elucidate effect of anti-depressants on blood pressure and gastric mucosa. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of various antidepressant drugs as well as their effect on blood pressure and gastric tolerability on chronic administration in rats.

          Methods:

          Rat paw oedema model was used for studying anti-inflammatory activity, single dose of test drug (venlafaxine 20 and 40 mg/kg, amitryptline 25 mg/kg, fluoxetine 20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 45 min prior to administration of 0.1 ml of 1 per cent carrageenan in sub-planter region. Oedema induced in test group was compared with normal saline treated control group. For studying effect on blood pressure and gastric tolerability, test drugs were administered for 14 days. Blood pressure was recorded on days 0, 7 and 14 using tail cuff method. On day 14, 4 h after drug administration, rats were sacrificed and stomach mucosa was examined for ulcerations.

          Results:

          Pretreatment of rats with venlafaxine (40 mg/kg) resulted in a significant decrease in paw oedema as compared to control (2.4 ± 0.15 to 1.1 ± 0.16 ml, P<0.01). Similarly, in the group pretreated with fluoxetine, significant decrease in paw oedema was observed in comparison to control ( P<0.05). Significant change in mean blood pressure was seen in rats pretreated with venlafaxine 40 mg/kg (126.7 ± 4.2 to 155.2 ± 9.7, P<0.05) and fluoxetine (143.5 ± 2.6 to 158.3 ± 1.2, P<0.05) on day 7. No significant difference with regard to gastric tolerability was observed among groups.

          Interpretation & conclusions:

          Our findings showed significant anti-inflammatory activity of venlafaxine (40 mg/kg) and fluoxetine but these drugs were also associated with an increase in blood pressure. No significant change in mean ulcer index was observed among groups.

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          Most cited references27

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          The sympathetic nerve--an integrative interface between two supersystems: the brain and the immune system.

          The brain and the immune system are the two major adaptive systems of the body. During an immune response the brain and the immune system "talk to each other" and this process is essential for maintaining homeostasis. Two major pathway systems are involved in this cross-talk: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This overview focuses on the role of SNS in neuroimmune interactions, an area that has received much less attention than the role of HPA axis. Evidence accumulated over the last 20 years suggests that norepinephrine (NE) fulfills the criteria for neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in lymphoid organs. Thus, primary and secondary lymphoid organs receive extensive sympathetic/noradrenergic innervation. Under stimulation, NE is released from the sympathetic nerve terminals in these organs, and the target immune cells express adrenoreceptors. Through stimulation of these receptors, locally released NE, or circulating catecholamines such as epinephrine, affect lymphocyte traffic, circulation, and proliferation, and modulate cytokine production and the functional activity of different lymphoid cells. Although there exists substantial sympathetic innervation in the bone marrow, and particularly in the thymus and mucosal tissues, our knowledge about the effect of the sympathetic neural input on hematopoiesis, thymocyte development, and mucosal immunity is extremely modest. In addition, recent evidence is discussed that NE and epinephrine, through stimulation of the beta(2)-adrenoreceptor-cAMP-protein kinase A pathway, inhibit the production of type 1/proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL-12), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma by antigen-presenting cells and T helper (Th) 1 cells, whereas they stimulate the production of type 2/anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 and transforming growth factor-beta. Through this mechanism, systemically, endogenous catecholamines may cause a selective suppression of Th1 responses and cellular immunity, and a Th2 shift toward dominance of humoral immunity. On the other hand, in certain local responses, and under certain conditions, catecholamines may actually boost regional immune responses, through induction of IL-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and primarily IL-8 production. Thus, the activation of SNS during an immune response might be aimed to localize the inflammatory response, through induction of neutrophil accumulation and stimulation of more specific humoral immune responses, although systemically it may suppress Th1 responses, and, thus protect the organism from the detrimental effects of proinflammatory cytokines and other products of activated macrophages. The above-mentioned immunomodulatory effects of catecholamines and the role of SNS are also discussed in the context of their clinical implication in certain infections, major injury and sepsis, autoimmunity, chronic pain and fatigue syndromes, and tumor growth. Finally, the pharmacological manipulation of the sympathetic-immune interface is reviewed with focus on new therapeutic strategies using selective alpha(2)- and beta(2)-adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists and inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type IV in the treatment of experimental models of autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
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            Depression is associated with decreased blood pressure, but antidepressant use increases the risk for hypertension.

            The present study compared blood pressure levels between subjects with clinical anxiety and depressive disorders with healthy controls. Cross-sectional data were obtained in a large cohort study, the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (N=2981). Participants were classified as controls (N=590) or currently or remittedly depressed or anxious subjects (N=2028), of which 1384 were not and 644 were using antidepressants. Regression analyses calculated the contributions of anxiety and depressive disorders and antidepressant use to diastolic and systolic blood pressures, after controlling for multiple covariates. Heart rate and heart rate variability measures were subsequently added to test whether effects of anxiety/depression or medication were mediated by vagal control over the heart. Higher mean diastolic blood pressure was found among the current anxious subjects (beta=0.932; P=0.03), although anxiety was not significantly related to hypertension risk. Remitted and current depressed subjects had a lower mean systolic blood pressure (beta=-1.74, P=0.04 and beta=-2.35, P=0.004, respectively) and were significantly less likely to have isolated systolic hypertension than controls. Users of tricyclic antidepressants had higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and were more likely to have hypertension stage 1 (odds ratio: 1.90; 95% CI: 0.94 to 3.84; P=0.07) and stage 2 (odds ratio: 3.19; 95% CI: 1.35 to 7.59; P=0.008). Users of noradrenergic and serotonergic working antidepressants were more likely to have hypertension stage 1. This study shows that depressive disorder is associated with low systolic blood pressure and less hypertension, whereas the use of certain antidepressants is associated with both high diastolic and systolic blood pressures and hypertension.
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              A systematic review of antidepressants in neuropathic pain.

              The objective of this study was to review the effectiveness and safety of antidepressants in neuropathic pain. In a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, the main outcomes were global judgements, pain relief or fall in pain intensity which approximated to more than 50% pain relief, and information about minor and major adverse effects. Dichotomous data for effectiveness and adverse effects were analysed using odds ratio and number needed-to-treat (NNT) methods. Twenty-one placebo-controlled treatments in 17 randomised controlled trials were included, involving 10 antidepressants. In six of 13 diabetic neuropathy studies the odds ratios showed significant benefit compared with placebo. The combined odds ratio was 3.6 (95% CI 2.5-5.2), with a NNT for benefit of 3 (2.4-4). In two of three postherpetic neuralgia studies the odds ratios showed significant benefit, and the combined odds ratio was 6.8 (3.5-14.3), with a NNT of 2.3 (1.7-3.3). In two atypical facial pain studies the combined odds ratio for benefit was 4.1 (2.3-7.5), with a NNT of 2.8 (2-4.7). Only one of three central pain studies had analysable dichotomous data. The NNT point estimate was 1.7. Comparisons of tricyclic antidepressants did not show any significant difference between them; they were significantly more effective than benzodiazepines in the three comparisons available. Paroxetine and mianserin were less effective than imipramine. For 11 of the 21 placebo-controlled treatments there was dichotomous information on minor adverse effects; combining across pain syndromes the NNT for minor (noted in published report) adverse effects was 3.7 (2.9-5.2). Information on major (drug-related study withdrawal) adverse effects was available from 19 reports; combining across pain syndromes the NNT for major adverse effects was 22 (13.5-58). Antidepressants are effective in relieving neuropathic pain. Compared with placebo, of 100 patients with neuropathic pain who are given antidepressants, 30 will obtain more than 50% pain relief, 30 will have minor adverse reactions and four will have to stop treatment because of major adverse effects. With very similar results for anticonvulsants it is still unclear which drug class should be first choice. Treatment would be improved if we could harness the dramatic improvement seen on placebo in some of the trials.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Indian J Med Res
                Indian J. Med. Res
                IJMR
                The Indian Journal of Medical Research
                Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd (India )
                0971-5916
                0975-9174
                July 2013
                : 138
                : 1
                : 99-103
                Affiliations
                [1] Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India
                Author notes
                Reprint requests: Dr Bhupinder Singh Kalra, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi 110 002, India e-mail: drbskalra@ 123456gmail.com
                Article
                IJMR-138-99
                3767251
                24056562
                8d6eb70b-baa4-449d-b21f-98a4aa6c192b
                Copyright: © The Indian Journal of Medical Research

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 28 December 2011
                Categories
                Original Article

                Medicine
                anti-depressants,anti inflammatory,paw oedema,venlafaxine
                Medicine
                anti-depressants, anti inflammatory, paw oedema, venlafaxine

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