Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the comparative effects of imipramine, sertraline, nifedipine, furosemide and bumetanide on ingestive behavior in rodents. Twelve groups (with six in each group) of male mice (25 to 35 g) were used in the experiments. They were housed in labelled plastic cages in the departmental laboratory and allowed access to food and water ad libitum. Six groups were treated respectively, with 10 mg/kg of furosemide, 5 mg/kg of sertraline, 5 mg/kg of nifedipine, 10 mg/kg of furosemide, 2.5 mg/kg of bumetanide and 0.25 ml of placebo, intraperitoneally daily for 30 days. Another six groups of mice were treated with the combination of furosemide (10 mg/kg) + sertraline (5 mg/kg); bumetanide (2.5 mg/kg) + sertraline (5 mg/kg); furosemide (10 mg/kg) + imipramine (10mg/kg); imipramin (10 mg/kg) + nifedipine (5 mg/kg); furosemide (10 mg/kg) + nifedipine (5 mg/kg) and placebo, respectively. The weights of the mice were recorded weekly for four weeks. Sertraline and imipramine decreased the weights of mice significantly at four weeks when compared to the controls (p < 0.05), while nifedipine and furosemide caused weight increases at four weeks, which is significantly different from the control (p < 0.05). Bumetanide did not cause significant weight increase when compared with controls (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that sertraline and imipramine are anorexigenic in mice, while nifedipine and furosemide may be orexigenic.

Key words: Imipramine, sertraline, nifedipine, furosemide, bumetanide, weight of mice.