Behavioral alterations and pro-oxidant effect of a single ketamine administration to mice.
Francisca Charliane Carlos Da Silva, Maria Do Carmo de Oliveira Cito, Maria Izabel Gomes Da Silva, Brinell Arcanjo Moura, Manuel Rufino De Aquino Neto, Mariana Lima Feitosa, Raquell De Castro Chaves, Danielle Silveira Macedo, Silvania Maria Mendes De Vasconcelos, Marta Maria De França Fonteles, Francisca Cléa Florenço de Sousa
Brain Research Bulletin August 30, 2010 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.05.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled animal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Dose | 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg i.p. |
| Duration | Single administration |
| Measures | elevated plus-maze, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, lipid peroxidation, nitrite content, catalase activity, GSH levels |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | A single ketamine injection in mice produced antidepressant-like reductions in immobility in the forced swimming and tail suspension tests, alongside increased anxiety-like behavior and locomotor activity. Ketamine also increased prefrontal cortex lipid peroxidation, nitrite content, and catalase activity while decreasing glutathione, which the authors interpret as a pro-oxidant effect. |
Abstract
A growing body of evidence has pointed to the ionotropic glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA) as an important player in the etiology of psychopathologies, including anxiety and major depression. Clinical findings suggest that ketamine may be used for the treatment of major depression. There is evidence that reactive oxygen species also play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, particularly those which are neurological and psychiatric in nature. This study examined the behavioral and oxidative stress alterations after a single administration of ketamine (5, 10 and 20mg/kg i.p.) in mice. Ketamine presented a significant anxiogenic effect in the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety, also increasing locomotor activity. In the forced swimming and tail suspension tests, a significant decrease in immobility time after ketamine administration was observed. In addition to the behavioral changes induced by ketamine, this drug also increased lipid peroxidation, nitrite content and catalase activity, while decreased GSH levels in mice prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, our results confirm the antidepressant effects of ketamine, also showing a pro-oxidant effect of this drug.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| mTOR-Dependent Synapse Formation Underlies the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of NMDA Antagonists Rats | 2010 | Observational study | |
| Activation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission by Ketamine: A Novel Step in the Pathway from NMDA Receptor Blockade to Dopaminergic and Cognitive Disruptions Associated with the Prefrontal Cortex Conscious rats | 1997 | Dose-response study with microdialysis and behavioral testing | |
| NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites Mice | 2016 | Preclinical study | |
| The dissociative anaesthetics, ketamine and phencyclidine, selectively reduce excitation of central mammalian neurones by N‐methyl‐aspartate Spinal neurons in decerebrate or pentobarbitone-anaesthetized cats and rats | 1983 | Experimental study | |
| R-ketamine: a rapid-onset and sustained antidepressant without psychotomimetic side effects Mice | 2015 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Antidepressant mechanism of ketamine: perspective from preclinical studies Frontiers in Neuroscience July 21, 2015
- Environmental enrichment enhances the antidepressant effect of ketamine and ameliorates spatial memory deficits in adult rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior July 1, 2024
- Oxidative Stress in Treatment-Resistant and Refractory Depression: A Hidden Therapeutic Target? Molecular Neurobiology February 5, 2026
- Single subanesthetic dose of ketamine exerts antioxidant and antidepressive-like effect in ACTH-induced preclinical model of depression. Molecular and cellular neurosciences June 1, 2025
- Ketamine differentially affects implicit and explicit memory processes in rats. Psychopharmacology June 1, 2025
and 13 more in the library
Cites 11
- A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2006
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- Dopamine D2High receptors stimulated by phencyclidines, lysergic acid diethylamide, salvinorin A, and modafinil. Synapse August 1, 2009
- Effects of subchronic phencyclidine on behaviour of female rats on the elevated plus maze and open field. Journal of Psychopharmacology May 2010
- Anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like properties of ketamine in behavioral and neurophysiological animal models. Neuroscience June 30, 2009
and 6 more in the library