Imipramine and citalopram facilitate amyloid precursor protein secretion in vitro

These in vitro data suggest that both TCA and SSRI are able to interfere with the APP metabolism. Imipramine promotes the non-amyloidogenic route of APP processing via stimulatory effects on PKC. We propose that PKC is not involved in the mechanism underlying the effects of citalopram on the APP metabolism. Since the secreted APP is not further available for the pathological cleavage of β- and γ-secretases, antidepressant medication might be beneficial in AD therapy.