Evaluation of anti-cataleptic effect of Levodopa-Carbidopa and sertraline in the parkinsonian rats

Long-term administration of Levodopa in parkinsonian patients leads to development of some motor disorders such as L-dopa induced dyskinesia and off-phenomena. Hence employment of strategy for effective treatment of this disease is of interest.In this investigation we attempted to evaluate the effect of sertraline on anti-cataleptic effect of L-dopa in 6-hydroxydopamine (6- OHDA) lesioned rats. Catalepsy was induced by infusion of 6-OHDA (8μg/2μl/rat) into the Substantia nigra. These rats received intraperitoneally (i.p.) L-Dopa (15mg/kg) twice daily for 20 consecutive days, and anti-cataleptic effect of L-dopa was evaluated by bar-test on days 5, 10, 15 and 20. The results present that L-dopaexert anti-cataleptic effect only until day 15, and its effect was vanished on the day 20. On the day 21, these rats co-injected with three different doses of sertraline (0.5, 1and 2mg/kg, i.p.) and L-dopa (15mg/kg, ip). Sertralineat the dose of 2 mg/kg improved the anti-cataleptic effect of L-dopa. Furthermore, the effect of sertraline (2 mg/kg, i.p.) on anti-cataleptic effect of L-dopa (15mg/kg, ip) was antagonised by NAN 190 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) as a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. Theseresults showed that sertraline improvesthe anti-cataleptic effect of L-dopa in the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats and probably this effect mediated through activation of 5HT1A receptors.