Comparison of the efficacy of fluoxetine, phenelzine and moclobemide in rodents using animal models of depression

ABSTRACT

Fluoxetine, phenelzine and moclobemide are reference antidepressant drugs that are commonly used to treat depression. In a present study we have compared the efficacy of fluoxetine, phenelzine and moclobemide in the rodents using forced swimming test [FST] and the tail suspension test [TST]. All the drugs caused marked reduction in immobility time of rodents in a dose dependent manner in both models of depression but FST appeared to be more sensitive behavioral model than TST, in our study. Moclobemide showed the highest efficacy as it caused 87.7% reduction in immobility time in rats using FST with an efficacy order as moclobemide > phenelzine > fluoxetine. On the basis of IC[30] values for the drugs, fluoxetine appeared to be the most potent in our investigations