The Antidepressant/Antipanic/Neuroprotective Drug Phenelzine: Neuropharmacological and Drug Metabolism Studies

• Author / Creator

  Kumpula, David J

• Phenelzine (PLZ) is a monoamine oxidase (MAO)-inhibiting antidepressant with anxiolytic and neuroprotective properties. Metabolites of PLZ were investigated in rat brain. Levels of phenylacetic acid (PAA) and β-phenylethylamine (PEA) were found to be elevated after administration of PLZ and PEH (a major metabolite of PLZ) to rats, but the effect was greater with PLZ in both cases. Acute administration of PLZ or PEH increased brain levels of alanine (ALA) and GABA and decreased glutamine (GLN) levels. When MAO was inhibited prior to PLZ administration, levels of GABA and ALA were not increased, supporting the idea that the metabolite PEH formed by MAO is responsible for the increases. Chronic PLZ administration significantly reduced weight gain in rats, and brain levels of amino acids were quite different after 1 and 3 weeks of PLZ administration, perhaps as a result of its decreased metabolism to PEH with time.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Phenelzine
  • Phenylacetic acid
  • Alanine
  • Gamma-aminobutyric acid
  • Phenylethylamine
  • Phenylethylidenehydrazine
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
  • Monoamine oxidase
  • Drug metabolism

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3X63F

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.