SYMPOSIA

Poster Presentations
[PP-075] Ref. No: 301
Effects of agmatine in rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress
Feyza Arıcıoğlu 1 , Tijen Utkan 2
1 Department of Pharmacology and Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Marmara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Department of Pharmacology, Kocaeli University, Medical Faculty, Kocaeli, Turkey
E-mail: feyza.aricioglu@gmail.com
Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders which is a leading cause of total disability and economic burden.
Although there are medications that alleviate depressive symptoms, they have serious limitations. Therefore better understanding of
the neurobiology of the disease is required. Agmatine (l-amino-4-guanidinobutane) is an endogenous amine synthesized from the
decarboxylation of arginine. Agmatine has been quantified in nearly all of the organs of the rat including brain and plasma. Agmatine
exerts a wide range of biological activities on several organ systems, including the central nervous system, where it has been proposed
to act as a neurotransmitter. Agmatine interacts with the imidazoline receptors, alpha-2-adrenoceptors, nicotinic cholinergic receptors,
and serotonergic 5-HT3 receptors. It selectively modulates the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subclass of glutamate receptors in rat
hippocampal neurons via an interaction between the guanidino group of agmatine and the NMDA channel pore and is an endogenous
inhibitor of all isoforms of nitric oxide synthase. Agmatine is released from neurons and has neuroprotective properties. The present study
was designed to evaluate the effect of agmatine in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression model.
Animals were allocated to the following study groups: animals not exposed to CUMS (Control group, n=12), animals exposed to CUMS for
5 weeks (CUMS group, n=12), and animals exposed to CUMS and treated with agmatine (CUMS+Agmatine group, n=12). The control and
CUMS groups were injected with saline and the CUMS+Agmatine group was injected with agmatine 40 mg/kg, i.p. daily throughout the
experiment. CUMS was applied as previously described with a minor modification. Briefly, the CUMS and CUMS+Agmatine groups were
subjected to different types of stressors: restraint for 4 h, cage tilting for 24 h, wet bedding for 24 h, swimming in 40C cold water for 5
min, swimming in 45 C hot water for 5 min, pairing with another stressed animal for 48 h, level shaking for 10 min, nip tail for 1 min, and
inversion of the light/dark cycle for 24 h. These nine stressors were randomly applied for 5 weeks, during which each stressor was applied
for 4-5 times. The rats received one of these stressors per day and the same stressor was not applied continuously for 2 days so that
animals could not predict the occurence of stimulation. The control group not receiving stress treatment had free access to food and water
but all groups were food and water deprived 24 h before the sucrose consumption test only. After 5 weeks, the sucrose consumption,
sucrose preference and forced swimming tests were performed.
The results of this study showed that agmatine administration during CUMS suppressed CUMS-induced depression-like behavioral
changes, including a reduction in sucrose preference, body weight, locomotor activity, and a decrease in immobility time in the forced
swimming test. Our findings suggest that agmatine may have a protective effect either by inhibiting oxidative damage and/or by
modulating neuronal activity in CUMS. Based on these findings, agmatine, as an endogenous molecule, has a promising effect and further
studies are required to understand the underlying mechanism.
Key words: Agmatine, sucrose preference, forced swimming test, chronic unpredictable mild stress
Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2011;21(Suppl. 2):S166
[PP-076] Ref. No: 302
A case of obsessive compulsive disorder with psychotic features that suffered
from sexual trauma
Fatma Fariha Cengiz, Esra Aydın Sünbül
Erenköy Psychiatric Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
E-mail: dr_ffatmacengiz@yahoo.com.tr
Introduction: Although the relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and psychosis is a noteworthy phenomenon, the
limits of the two disorders have not been defined. Eisen and Rasmussen (1993) evaluated a total of 475 patients with OCD and 14% were
identified as having psychotic symptoms in addition to OCD. They classified the patients into 4 groups: 6% OCD without insight, OCD
and schizophrenia (4%), OCD and delusional disorder (2%), OCD and schizotypal personality disorder (3%) (1). In clinical observation it is
seen that, the shift from an obsession to a delusion is described when insight into obsessive signs is lost and resistance abandoned. These
delusions do not signify a schizophrenic diagnosis but represent reactive affective or paranoid psychoses (3).
S166 Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Vol: 21, Supplement: 2, 2011 - www.psikofarmakoloji.org