Involvement of monoaminergic system in the antidepressant-like effect of (octylseleno)-xylofuranoside in the mouse tail suspension test

- (octylseleno)-xylofuranoside (OSX) showed significant antidepressant-like activity.
- The antidepressant-like effect of OSX is significant in lower doses (0.001-10 mg/kg).
- Involvement of the monoaminergic system in the antidepressant-like activity of OSX.

Depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed neuropsychiatric disorders and several studies have demonstrated a role for selenium in mood disorders. For this reason, the present study investigated the role of the monoaminergic system in the antidepressant-like action of (octylseleno)-xylofuranoside (OSX), an organoselenium compound, in the tail suspension test (TST) in mice. For this purpose, OSX (0.001-10 mg/kg) was administered orally (p.o.) 30 min prior to testing, and all of the tested doses reduced the immobility time in the TST without changing the locomotor activity measured in the open field test (OFT). Furthermore, the antidepressant-like effect of OSX (0.01 mg/kg, p.o.) in the TST was prevented by pre-treatment in mice with ketanserin (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal route (i.p.); a 5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist), WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, subcutaneous (s.c.); a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist), p-chlorophenylalanine methyl ester-PCPA (100 mg/kg, i.p.; a selective inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase), prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p.; an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p.; an α2-adrenoceptor antagonist), SCH233390 (0.05 mg/kg, s.c., a dopaminergic D1 receptor antagonist) and sulpiride (50 mg/kg, i.p., a dopaminergic D2 receptor antagonist), but not with ondansetron (1 mg/kg, i.p.; a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist). Taken together, these data demonstrate that OSX has a potent antidepressant-like effect in TST at lower doses (0.001-10 mg/kg), which is dependent on its interaction with the serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems.