Depression and cardiovascular diseases are two of the world's major health problems. Escitalopram (ESC) is widely used because of its safety in relation to other drugs in that class; however, it can affect the cardiovascular system. The present study evaluated the cardiovascular parameters of depressive-like male rats and the cardiovascular effects of ESC treatment on that condition. The EMS protocol consisted of separating the litter from the dam for 3 h over 13 days. Animals were anesthetized with tribromoethanol (250 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and the catheters were inserted into the femoral and into the femoral vein. Depressive-like rats showed an increase in the pressor response to phenylephrine (Emax:depressive = 50.36 ± 2.997 mmHg; non-depressive = 39.51 ± 3.328 mmHg; p < 0.05) and a reduction in the EC50 (depressive = 0.6203 ± 0.03005 μg/kg; non-depressive = 0.7320 ± 0.03519 μg/kg; p < 0.05) with no change in the other cardiovascular parameters. After treatment with ESC, a reduction of intrinsic heart rate was observed in the depressive-like rats (control: 342 ± 6 bpm; ESC: 316 ± 5 bpm; p < 0.05). In addition, ESC treatment increased the bradycardic (control: -97.81 ± 8.3 bpm; ESC: -137.1 ± 12.31 bpm; p = 0.0236; t = 2.502) during the baroreflex response, caused by an increase in cardiac parasympathetic modulation in the heart, in depressive-like rats (p < 0.001). The findings suggest that depressive-like rats showed cardiovascular changes, and that ESC treatment was able to reverse these changes, suggesting that ESC has a good safety profile for depressive patients with cardiovascular disease due to increased parasympathetic modulation.
Keywords: Cardiovascular safety; Depression; Depressive-like behaviour; Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
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