Stimulation of Vagus By Phenylephrine Increases the Efficiency and Safety of Antidepressants and Anti-Epileptics

Stimulation of Vagus By Phenylephrine Increases the Efficiency and Safety of Antidepressants and Anti-Epileptics

Author Info

Corresponding Author
Valery Gmiro
Institute for Experimental Medicine, 197376, St. Petersburg, Acad. Pavlov St., 12, Russia

A B S T R A C T

Background: Earlier, we discovered the possibility of potentiation of the therapeutic effects of small (threshold) doses of CNS agents by phenylephrine and adrenaline, while eliminating their side effects. However, the question of the possibility of potentiation by phenylephrine and other CNS potentiators of high therapeutic doses of CNS agents remained unstudied. This study is devoted to the research of this problem. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the threshold dose of phenylephrine on the antidepressant effect of amitriptyline and the anticonvulsant effect of diazepam, as well as their side sedation in high doses. Method: The experiments were carried out on the animated models of depression (Porsolt test) and epilepsy (clonic pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures), resistant to antidepressants and antiepileptics even at high therapeutic doses. Side sedative effect of substances was evaluated in the "open field" test. Results: We established that the stimulation of gastric vagal afferents with phenylephrine, when administered orally at threshold doses, potentiates the anticonvulsant effect of diazepam and the antidepressant effect of amitriptyline in high therapeutic doses to the maximum level that is impossible in their application by themselves, and at the same time eliminates their side sedation. Conclusion: A synergistic effect of phenylephrine and CNS drugs on the peripheral and central links of the vagal stress-protective reflex is discussed. It is assumed that the potentiation of therapeutic effect by phenylephrine and the elimination of side effects of the CNS agents occurs as a result of strengthening the vagal stress-protective reflex, eliminating the drug stress.

Article Info

Article Type
Research Article
Publication history
Received: Mon 01, Jul 2019
Accepted: Mon 26, Aug 2019
Published: Sun 10, Nov 2019
Copyright
© 2023 Valery Gmiro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.EJGM.2019.01.01