The antidepressant-like action of a simple selenium-containing molecule, methyl phenyl selenide, in mice

Selenium-containing molecules show promising pharmacological properties. The antidepressant-like action of CH3SePh in the mouse forced swimming test (FST) and the tail suspension test (TST), models predictive of depressant activity, were investigated in this study. Moreover, the involvement of dopaminergic system in the antidepressant-like action of CH3SePh was studied. The behavioral results showed that CH3SePh significantly reduced the immobility time in the FST (25 and 50 mg/kg, intragastrically; i.g.) and the TST (50 mg/kg, i.g.), without accompanying changes in ambulation when assessed in the open-field test (OFT). The anti-immobility effect of CH3SePh (50 mg/kg, intragastrically; i.g.) in the FST was prevented by pretreatment of mice with haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist), SCH 23390 (R-(+)-8-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-3-methyl-5-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine-7-ol) (0.05 mg/kg, s.c., a dopamine D1 receptor antagonist) and sulpiride (50 mg/kg, i.p., a dopamine D2 and D3 antagonist). These results suggest that CH3SePh produced an antidepressant-like action in the mouse FST and TST. The antidepressant-like action of CH3SePh, a simple selenium-containing molecule, seems most likely to be mediated through an interaction with the dopaminergic system.