Vitamin E reduces antidepressant-related beta-adrenoceptor down-regulation in cultured cells. Comparable effects on St. John's wort and tricyclic antidepressant treatment. 2006

Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
Department of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

The mode of action of antidepressants is still a matter of debate. Acute inhibition of neurotransmitter reuptake in central neuronal synapses, followed by a down-regulation of central postsynaptic beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) numbers were consistently observed in vivo, while a reduction in surface beta-AR density was found in cell cultures. Effects of the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine (DMI) were abolished by vitamin E (alpha-TOC) in vitro as well as in vivo. Alpha-TOC interfered with antidepressant-induced changes of cellular plasma membrane properties and with recycling of beta-AR. St. John's wort (SJW) extract reduced beta-AR numbers in cultured cells to a similar extent as DMI or the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor fluoxetine. We chronically co-exposed cell cultures to SJW extract and to alpha-TOC. Receptor down-regulation following exposure to the plant extract was inhibited in the presence of alpha-TOC suggesting a mode of action of SJW extract comparable to that of synthetic antidepressants. Inhibition of cell proliferation by the plant extract was also significantly reduced by alpha-TOC.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008517 Phytotherapy Use of plants or herbs to treat diseases or to alleviate pain. Herb Therapy,Herbal Therapy
D010936 Plant Extracts Concentrated pharmaceutical preparations of plants obtained by removing active constituents with a suitable solvent, which is evaporated away, and adjusting the residue to a prescribed standard. Herbal Medicines,Plant Extract,Extract, Plant,Extracts, Plant,Medicines, Herbal
D011943 Receptors, Adrenergic, beta One of two major pharmacologically defined classes of adrenergic receptors. The beta adrenergic receptors play an important role in regulating CARDIAC MUSCLE contraction, SMOOTH MUSCLE relaxation, and GLYCOGENOLYSIS. Adrenergic beta-Receptor,Adrenergic beta-Receptors,Receptors, beta-Adrenergic,beta Adrenergic Receptor,beta-Adrenergic Receptor,beta-Adrenergic Receptors,Receptor, Adrenergic, beta,Adrenergic Receptor, beta,Adrenergic beta Receptor,Adrenergic beta Receptors,Receptor, beta Adrenergic,Receptor, beta-Adrenergic,Receptors, beta Adrenergic,beta Adrenergic Receptors,beta-Receptor, Adrenergic,beta-Receptors, Adrenergic
D002478 Cells, Cultured Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others. Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D002540 Cerebral Cortex The thin layer of GRAY MATTER on the surface of the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES that develops from the TELENCEPHALON and folds into gyri and sulci. It reaches its highest development in humans and is responsible for intellectual faculties and higher mental functions. Allocortex,Archipallium,Cortex Cerebri,Cortical Plate,Paleocortex,Periallocortex,Allocortices,Archipalliums,Cerebral Cortices,Cortex Cerebrus,Cortex, Cerebral,Cortical Plates,Paleocortices,Periallocortices,Plate, Cortical
D004357 Drug Synergism The action of a drug in promoting or enhancing the effectiveness of another drug. Drug Potentiation,Drug Augmentation,Augmentation, Drug,Augmentations, Drug,Drug Augmentations,Drug Potentiations,Drug Synergisms,Potentiation, Drug,Potentiations, Drug,Synergism, Drug,Synergisms, Drug
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000928 Antidepressive Agents Mood-stimulating drugs used primarily in the treatment of affective disorders and related conditions. Several MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS are useful as antidepressants apparently as a long-term consequence of their modulation of catecholamine levels. The tricyclic compounds useful as antidepressive agents (ANTIDEPRESSIVE AGENTS, TRICYCLIC) also appear to act through brain catecholamine systems. A third group (ANTIDEPRESSIVE AGENTS, SECOND-GENERATION) is a diverse group of drugs including some that act specifically on serotonergic systems. Antidepressant,Antidepressant Drug,Antidepressant Medication,Antidepressants,Antidepressive Agent,Thymoanaleptic,Thymoanaleptics,Thymoleptic,Thymoleptics,Antidepressant Drugs,Agent, Antidepressive,Drug, Antidepressant,Medication, Antidepressant
D000929 Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic Substances that contain a fused three-ring moiety and are used in the treatment of depression. These drugs block the uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin into axon terminals and may block some subtypes of serotonin, adrenergic, and histamine receptors. However, the mechanism of their antidepressant effects is not clear because the therapeutic effects usually take weeks to develop and may reflect compensatory changes in the central nervous system. Antidepressants, Tricyclic,Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drug,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agent,Tricyclic Antidepressive Agents,Antidepressant Drugs, Tricyclic,Agent, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Agents, Tricyclic Antidepressive,Antidepressant Drug, Tricyclic,Antidepressant, Tricyclic,Antidepressive Agent, Tricyclic,Drug, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Drugs, Tricyclic Antidepressant,Tricyclic Antidepressant Drugs,Tricyclic Antidepressants
D014810 Vitamin E A generic descriptor for all TOCOPHEROLS and TOCOTRIENOLS that exhibit ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL activity. By virtue of the phenolic hydrogen on the 2H-1-benzopyran-6-ol nucleus, these compounds exhibit varying degree of antioxidant activity, depending on the site and number of methyl groups and the type of ISOPRENOIDS.

Related Publications

Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
January 1999, Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
August 2002, Journal of the National Cancer Institute,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
October 1998, European journal of clinical pharmacology,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
June 2005, The Journal of urology,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
February 2007, The Annals of pharmacotherapy,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
December 2006, Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
June 2008, Current drug metabolism,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
October 1998, Psychopharmacology,
Gian Marco De Marchis, and Sibylle Bürgi, and Urs Kientsch, and Ulrich E Honegger
January 2014, Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM,
Copied contents to your clipboard!