Postnatal development of rats exposed to fluoxetine or venlafaxine during the third week of pregnancy

The aim of the present study was to compare the toxic effects of fluoxetine (F) (8 and 16 mg/kg) and venlafaxine (V) (40 and 80 mg/kg) administered during the third week of pregnancy on early development of rats. Both antidepressants were administered by gavage on pregnancy days 15 to 20 to groups of 10 to 12 animals each. Duration of gestation, food and water consumption, number of live pups and birth weight were recorded. Litters were culled to six pups at birth (day 1) and followed for growth until weaning (day 25). On day 60, a male and a female from each litter were injected with the 5-HT1 agonist, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (6 mg/kg, ip) and the serotonergic syndrome was graded. Fluoxetine but not venlafaxine reduced the duration of pregnancy when compared to the control (C) group (F = 21.1 days and C = 21.6 days, mean, P<0.02; maximum = 22 days and minimum = 21 days in both groups). The highest doses of both fluoxetine, 16 mg/kg (F16), and venlafaxine, 80 mg/kg (V80), reduced the food intake of pregnant rats, resulting in different rates of body weight gain during treatment (from pregnancy day 15 to day 20): F16 = 29.0 g, V80 = 28.7 g vs C = 39.5 g (median). Birth weight was influenced by treatment and sex (P<0.05; two-way ANOVA). Both doses of fluoxetine or venlafaxine reduced the body weight of litters; however, the body weight of litters from treated dams was equal to the weight of control litters by the time of weaning. At weaning there was no significant difference in weight between sexes. There was no difference among groups in number of live pups at birth, stillbirths, mortality during the lactation period or in the manifestation of serotonergic syndrome in adult rats. The occurrence of low birth weight among pups born to dams which did not show reduced food ingestion or reduction of body weight gain during treatment with lower doses of fluoxetine or venlafaxine suggests that these drugs may have a deleterious effect on prenatal development when administered during pregnancy. In addition, fluoxetine slightly but significantly affected the duration of pregnancy (about half a day), an effect not observed in the venlafaxine-treated groups

Prenatal and postnatal depression among low income Brazilian women

Postnatal depression is a significant problem affecting 10-15 percent of mothers in many countries and has been the subject of an increasing number of publications. Prenatal depression has been studied less. The aims of the present investigation were: 1) to obtain information on the prevalence of prenatal and postnatal depression in low income Brazilian women by using an instrument already employed in several countries, i.e., the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); 2) to evaluate the risk factors involved in prenatal and postnatal depression in Brazil. The study groups included 33 pregnant women interviewed at home during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and once a month during the first six months after delivery. Questions on life events and the mother's relationship with the baby were posed during each visit. Depressed pregnant women received less support from their partners than non-depressed pregnant women (36.4 vs 72.2 percent, P<0.05; Fisher exact test). Black women predominated among pre- and postnatally depressed subjects. Postnatal depression was associated with lower parity (0.4 ñ 0.5 vs 1.1 ñ 1.0, P<0.05; Student t -test). Thus, the period of pregnancy may be susceptible to socio-environmental factors that induce depression, such as the lack of affective support from the partner. The prevalence rate of 12 percent observed for depression in the third month postpartum is comparable to that of studies from other countries

Ethanol elimination by rats as a function of reproductive state, gender and nutritional status

Alcohol elimination was studied in rats of different ages, reproductive states and nutritional deprivation, with the following results: 1) blood levels of ethanol 180 min after a single dose of 1.5 g/kg, ip were significantly higher in adult male (74 days old, N=5) than in young male rats (34 days old, N = 5): 92.4 ñ 8.4 vs 6.8 + 3.4 mg/lOO ml, means ñ SD, respectively; 2) when male rats were given a low protein diet for 48 h, blood ethanol levels after a single dose were significantly increased in young males (38.6 ñ 14.6 mg/l00 ml) but no effect after a single dose was found in the same animals at an older age (93.2 ñ 5.0 mg/l00 ml); 3) blood levels in female rats were higher than in young males both in the virgin and pregnant states, but during lactation a significant drop in blood levels of ethanol was observed. Blood levels of ethanol (mg/l00 ml) 180 min after a single dose of 1.5 g/kg, ip, in females, were: virgin (N=6): 44.9 ñ 16. 1, pregnant (N = 5): 40.0 ñ 10.4, lactant (N = 5): 8.8 5.8. This difference between virgin and pregnant and lactant rats was not related to changes in ADH activity which did not differ between groups. The present study indicates that in male rats the effect of a short-term protein deprivation on ethanol elimination is dependent on the age of the animal. In females, reproductive state is an important factor in determining ethanol elimination.

Ethanol pharmacokinetics in lactating women

Experimental studies in rats have demonstrated that lactating females have blood ethanol levels five times lower than those observed in non-lactating rats. The purpose of the present study was to verify if this phenomenon also occurs in human beings. Five lactating (L) and five control (C) women received, after formal agreement to the experimental procedure, 0.4 g/kg of ethanol as vodka (Stolichnaya, USSR), between 9:00 and 10:15 a.m. Blood and milk samples were collected 10, 20, 40, 60, 90, 150 and 180 min after ethanol ingestion. Ethanol levels in blood and milk were measured by gas chromatography using the head space technique. Results indicated that: time to reach maximal blood levels was significantly longer in the L group (L: 48.0 +/- 10.9, C: 31.2 +/- 16.4 min, means +/- SD), area under the curve was smaller when group L was compared to group C (L: 3821.5 +/- 1240.5, C: 5154.8 +/- 1313.7 mg per cent x min, means +/- SD), ethanol blood levels (mg/dl) at 150 and 180 min were significantly lower in the L group (150: L, 10.5 +/- 5.6; C, 18.7 +/- 6.8; 180: L, 3.9 +/- 2.8; C, 13.2 +/- 6.4, means +/- SD). Concentration of ethanol in milk was similar to concentration in blood. These results indicate the importance of lactation for ethanol pharmacokinetics and raise questions about the pharmacokinetics of other drugs ingested by lactating women

Neurobehavioral study of the effect of beta-myrcene on rodents

Tea prepared from lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is used for its supposed anxiolytic, hypnotic and analgesic properties in Brazilian folk medicine. beta-Myrcene, a major constituent of lemongrass, produces analgesia in rodents but there is some controversy about whether this actions is central or peripheral or both. Rats and mice received beta-myrcene, 1 g/Kg po in corn oil alone 1 h before being evaluated for a series of responses which included exploratory and emotional behavior, anxiolytic activity in a plus maze and inhibition of conditioned avoidance. No evidence was demonstrable for an effect of beta-myrcene on any f these behaviors. Similarly, beta-myrcene had no protective effect on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice. These data suggest that beta-myrcene has no benzodiazepine-like anxiolytic activity and that an activity on the central nervous system (antidepressive or antipsychotic) is unlikely. Despite the negative results of this study, folk use of lemongrass tea may still be justified by its analgesic properties

Effects of tolueno exposure during gestation on neurobehavioral development of rats and hamsters

Pregnant rats and hamsters were exposed to toluene vapor (800mg/m3) 6h daily from gestation days 14 to 20, and 6 to 11, respectively. Growth, neuromotor development and performance of the offspring in behavioral tasks were assessed. In rats,toluene increased the number of litters with low birth weight pups. Male rat offspring exposed to toluene displayed shorter latencies than male controls to choose one side of a T maze in a spontaneous alternation test. Hamsters exposed to toluene performed worse in a rotating rod test. These results confirm toluene fetotoxicity in rats and suggest an effect on exploratory behavior which may be related to hormonal changes in early life. Neuromotor effects of exposure of hamsters to toluene in utero deserve further investigation