This study was designed to study potentiation of fluoxetine's antidepressant effect by curcumin or pindolol. Twenty eight groups of mice (n=8) were used in three sets of experiments. In the first set, 9 groups were subjected to the forced swimming test after being treated intraperitoneally with three vehicles, fluoxetine (5 and 20 mg/kg), curcumin (20 mg/kg), pindolol (32 mg/kg), curcumin+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) and pindolol+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg). One hour after the test, serum and brain fluoxetine and norfluoxetine levels were measured in mice receiving fluoxetine (5 and 20 mg/kg), curcumin+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) and pindolol+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg). In the second set, the test was done after pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine. In the third set, the locomotor activity was measured. The immobility duration was significantly decreased in fluoxetine (20 mg/kg), curcumin (20 mg/kg), curcumin+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) and pindolol+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) groups. These decreases were reversed with p-chlorophenylalanine. Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine levels were significantly higher in fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) group with no differences in fluoxetine (5 mg/kg), curcumin+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) and pindolol+fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) groups. Moreover, drugs failed to alter the locomotor activity indicating absence of central stimulation. In conclusion, curcumin, more than pindolol enhanced the antidepressant effect of a subeffective dose of fluoxetine in mice without increasing its serum or brain levels excluding any pharmacokinetic interaction. Reversal of this potentiation with p-chlorophenylalanine suggests a pharmacodynamic interaction through involvement of presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors.
Keywords: Curcumin; fluoxetine; forced swimming test; pharmacodynamic; pharmacokinetic; pindolol.