Nicotinic partial agonists varenicline and sazetidine-A have differential effects on affective behavior

Jill R. Turner, Laura M. Castellano, Julie A. Blendy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

77 Scopus citations

Abstract

Clinical and preclinical studies suggest that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are involved in affective disorders; therefore, the potential therapeutic value of nicotinic partial agonists as treatments of these disorders is of growing interest. This study evaluated the effects of acute and chronic administration of nicotine and the α4β2 nicotinic partial agonists varenicline and sazetidine-A in mouse models of anxiety and depression. Acutely, only nicotine and varenicline had anxiolytic effects in the marble-burying test and in the novelty-induced hypophagia (NIH) test. In contrast, in animal models of antidepressant efficacy, such as the forced swim and the tail suspension test, only acute sazetidine-A had significant antidepressant-like effects. The NIH test provides an anxiety-related measure that is sensitive to the effects of chronic but not acute antidepressant treatment. Chronic nicotine and chronic sazetidine-A treatment were effective in this paradigm, but varenicline was ineffective. These results suggest that the partial agonists varenicline and sazetidine-A may have diverse therapeutic benefits in affective disorders.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)665-672
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Volume334
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmacology

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