Effect of duloxetine acute treatment against 3, 4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine-induced cognitive impairment and memory deficiency in male rats

In male rats, MDMA reduced anxiety, as shown by more time in the open arms of an elevated plus maze, and impaired learning and memory, indicated by more time in the dark compartment of a passive avoidance test and longer swimming time to a platform in a Morris water maze. Duloxetine, an antidepressant, counteracted these effects: it reversed MDMA-induced reductions in object discrimination, reduced time in the dark compartment, and improved platform finding. Duloxetine also decreased time in open arms and target quadrant, suggesting it attenuated MDMA's anxiolytic effect and improved cognitive and memory disturbances.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background and Aims: 3, 4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is used for recreational purposes worldwide. The use of MDMA resulted in learning and memory dysfunction. Duloxetine, a serotonin/noradrenalin-reuptake inhibitor is also utilized to treat depression and anxiety. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of duloxetine against MDMAchr('39')s effect on anxiety, cognition, and memory disturbance in the male rats. Materials and Methods: Wistar rats received treatment of saline (10 ml/kg; sham group), “MDMA” (10 mg/kg), “Duloxetine” (10 mg/kg), and Duloxetine plus MDMA (10 mg/kg, each), or no treatment (control) through the intraperitoneal administration for four days. The elevated plus maze (EPM), passive avoidance learning (PAL), Morris water maze (MWM), and novel object recognition (NOR) tests were employed to evaluate the anxiety, memory, and cognition, Results: The MDMA increased the time spent in open arms in EPM, time spent in the dark part of PAL, and swimming time to reach the platform in MWM. Furthermore, duloxetine inhibited the reduction of the discrimination index, time spent in the dark compartment, and time spent on the platform in NOR, PAL, and MWM tests among rats received MDMA. Moreover, duloxetine decreased time spent in open arms and the target quadrant in EPM and MWM tests. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that duloxetine treatment attenuated the MDMA-induced anxiolytic response and could improve MDMA-induced cognitive impairment and disturbance in learning and memory.