Tramadol reinforces antidepressant effects of ketamine with increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin-related kinase B in rat hippocampus

Chun Yang, Xiaomin Li, Nan Wang, Shixia Xu, Jianjun Yang, Zhiqiang Zhou

PDF(103 KB)
PDF(103 KB)
Front. Med. ›› 2012, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (4) : 411-415. DOI: 10.1007/s11684-012-0226-2
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Tramadol reinforces antidepressant effects of ketamine with increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin-related kinase B in rat hippocampus

Author information +
History +

Abstract

Ketamine exerts rapid and robust antidepressant properties in both animal models and depressed patients and tramadol possesses potential antidepressant effects. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important biomarker for mood disorders and tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) is a high affinity catalytic receptor for BDNF. We hypothesized that tramadol pretreatment might reinforce ketamine-elicited antidepressant effects with significant changes in hippocampal BDNF and TrkB levels in rats. Immobility time of rats receiving different treatment in the forced swimming test (FST) was observed. Levels of BDNF and TrkB in hippocampus were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results showed that tramadol (5 mg/kg) administrated alone neither elicited antidepressant effects nor altered BDNF or TrkB level. However, pretreatment with tramadol (5 mg/kg) enhanced the ketamine (10 mg/kg) -elicited antidepressant effects and upregulated the BDNF and TrkB levels in hippocampus. In conclusion, tramadol pretreatment reinforces the ketamine-elicited antidepressant effects, which is associated with the increased levels of BDNF and TrkB in rat hippocampus.

Keywords

tramadol / ketamine / antidepressant / brain-derived neurotrophic factor / tropomyosin-related kinase B

Cite this article

Download citation ▾
Chun Yang, Xiaomin Li, Nan Wang, Shixia Xu, Jianjun Yang, Zhiqiang Zhou. Tramadol reinforces antidepressant effects of ketamine with increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin-related kinase B in rat hippocampus. Front Med, 2012, 6(4): 411‒415 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11684-012-0226-2

References

[1]
Zarate CA Jr, Brutsche NE, Ibrahim L, Franco-Chaves J, Diazgranados N, Cravchik A, Selter J, Marquardt CA, Liberty V, Luckenbaugh DA. Replication of ketamine’s antidepressant efficacy in bipolar depression: a randomized controlled add-on trial. Biol Psychiatry2012; 71(11): 939-946
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[2]
Li N, Liu RJ, Dwyer JM, Banasr M, Lee B, Son H, Li XY, Aghajanian G, Duman RS. Glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists rapidly reverse behavioral and synaptic deficits caused by chronic stress exposure. Biol Psychiatry2011; 69(8): 754-761
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[3]
Barber J. Examining the use of tramadol hydrochloride as an antidepressant. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol2011; 19(2): 123-130
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[4]
Yalcin I, Aksu F, Bodard S, Chalon S, Belzung C. Antidepressant-like effect of tramadol in the unpredictable chronic mild stress procedure: possible involvement of the noradrenergic system. Behav Pharmacol2007; 18(7): 623-631
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[5]
Hashimoto K. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a biomarker for mood disorders: an historical overview and future directions. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci2010; 64(4): 341-357
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[6]
Russo-Neustadt A, Ha T, Ramirez R, Kesslak JP. Physical activity-antidepressant treatment combination: impact on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and behavior in an animal model. Behav Brain Res2001; 120(1): 87-95
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[7]
Siuciak JA, Lewis DR, Wiegand SJ, Lindsay RM. Antidepressant-like effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Pharmacol Biochem Behav1997; 56(1): 131-137
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[8]
Garcia LS, Comim CM, Valvassori SS, Réus GZ, Barbosa LM, Andreazza AC, Stertz L, Fries GR, Gavioli EC, Kapczinski F, Quevedo J. Acute administration of ketamine induces antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test and increases BDNF levels in the rat hippocampus. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry2008; 32(1): 140-144
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[9]
Castrén E, Võikar V, Rantamäki T. Role of neurotrophic factors in depression. Curr Opin Pharmacol2007; 7(1): 18-21
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[10]
Saarelainen T, Hendolin P, Lucas G, Koponen E, Sairanen M, MacDonald E, Agerman K, Haapasalo A, Nawa H, Aloyz R, Ernfors P, Castrén E. Activation of the TrkB neurotrophin receptor is induced by antidepressant drugs and is required for antidepressant-induced behavioral effects. J Neurosci2003; 23(1): 349-357
Pubmed
[11]
Rantamäki T, Knuuttila JE, Hokkanen ME, Castrén E. The effects of acute and long-term lithium treatments on trkB neurotrophin receptor activation in the mouse hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex. Neuropharmacology2006; 50(4): 421-427
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[12]
Detke MJ, Rickels M, Lucki I. Active behaviors in the rat forced swimming test differentially produced by serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants. Psychopharmacology (Berl)1995; 121(1): 66-72
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[13]
Porsolt RD, Le Pichon M, Jalfre M. Depression: a new animal model sensitive to antidepressant treatments. Nature1977; 266(5604): 730-732
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[14]
Jesse CR, Bortolatto CF, Savegnago L, Rocha JB, Nogueira CW. Involvement of L-arginine-nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway in the antidepressant-like effect of tramadol in the rat forced swimming test. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry2008; 32(8): 1838-1843
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[15]
Beurel E, Song L, Jope RS. Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 is necessary for the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine in mice. Mol Psychiatry2011; 16(11): 1068-1070
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[16]
Li N, Liu RJ, Dwyer JM, Banasr M, Lee B, Son H, Li XY, Aghajanian G, Duman RS. Glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists rapidly reverse behavioral and synaptic deficits caused by chronic stress exposure. Biol Psychiatry2011; 69(8): 754-761
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[17]
Bamigbade TA, Davidson C, Langford RM, Stamford JA. Actions of tramadol, its enantiomers and principal metabolite, O-desmethyltramadol, on serotonin (5-HT) efflux and uptake in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. Br J Anaesth1997; 79(3): 352-356
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[18]
Nishimura M, Sato K, Okada T, Yoshiya I, Schloss P, Shimada S, Tohyama M. Ketamine inhibits monoamine transporters expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Anesthesiology1998; 88(3): 768-774
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[19]
Markowitz JS, Patrick KS. Venlafaxine-tramadol similarities. Med Hypotheses1998; 51(2): 167-168
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[20]
Raffa RB, Friderichs E, Reimann W, Shank RP, Codd EE, Vaught JL. Opioid and nonopioid components independently contribute to the mechanism of action of tramadol, an ‘atypical’ opioid analgesic. J Pharmacol Exp Ther1992; 260(1): 275-285
Pubmed
[21]
Valverde O, Micó JA, Maldonado R, Mellado M, Gibert-Rahola J. Participation of opioid and monoaminergic mechanisms on the antinociceptive effect induced by tricyclic antidepressants in two behavioural pain tests in mice. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry1994; 18(6): 1073-1092
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[22]
Nibuya M, Morinobu S, Duman RS. Regulation of BDNF and trkB mRNA in rat brain by chronic electroconvulsive seizure and antidepressant drug treatments. J Neurosci1995; 15(11): 7539-7547
Pubmed
[23]
Machado-Vieira R, Yuan P, Brutsche N, DiazGranados N, Luckenbaugh D, Manji HK, Zarate CA Jr. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and initial antidepressant response to an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist. J Clin Psychiatry2009; 70(12): 1662-1666
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar
[24]
Faron-Górecka A, Kuśmider M, Inan SY, Siwanowicz J, Piwowarczyk T, Dziedzicka-Wasylewska M. Long-term exposure of rats to tramadol alters brain dopamine and alpha 1-adrenoceptor function that may be related to antidepressant potency. Eur J Pharmacol2004; 501(1-3): 103-110
CrossRef Pubmed Google scholar

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30872424).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
AI Summary AI Mindmap
PDF(103 KB)

Accesses

Citations

Detail

Sections
Recommended

/