| Popis: |
Clinical trials on the use of psilocybin to treat depression are promising but are confounded by the presence of hallucinations which may not be necessary for effectiveness. Preliminary data suggests that when administered to rats, related tryptamines baeocystin, norbaeocystin, and aeruginascin don’t cause hallucination-like acute behavioral responses (i.e., head twitch response) at any dose. This thesis explores whether related tryptamines have similar or better antidepressant efficacy than psilocybin and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, through both behavioral and biological markers of depression-associated processes in rats. Therapeutic potential of these tryptamines was assessed by administering baeocystin, norbaeocystin, aeruginascin, psilocybin, vehicle, or fluoxetine via gavage to male Long Evans rats (n=10) and assessed immobility in the forced swim test (FST) to measure antidepressant efficacy. Additionally, Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor expression was assessed using ELISA and Western Blot. Like fluoxetine, rats given psilocybin and norbaeocystin had significantly decreased immobility time compared to vehicle (p < 0.05). ELISAs showed increased Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor expression in rat hippocampus after psilocybin treatment, which was not replicated by Western Blot. These results suggest norbaeocystin may have similar antidepressant effects to psilocybin, alternative to traditional antidepressants, warranting further investigation by preclinical and clinical scientists. |
