Investigation of the in vitro effects of chronic antidepressant use on esophageal motility

Depression is one of the most common diseases in the world and its prevalence is increasing day by day. Tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and selective serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors are among the most commonly used drugs in the treatment of depression. These drugs affect many systems other than the central nervous system, including the gastrointestinal system. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of chronic imipramine (tricyclic antidepressant), fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), and venlafaxine (selective serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) on esophageal motility in rats. In our study, 32 male Wistar Albino rats aged 4-5 months were used and 4 experimental groups (control, imipramine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine) of 8 rats each were formed. Drug administration was performed for 14 days in the experimental groups. On the 15th day, esophageal and gastroesophageal sphincter smooth muscle segments were isolated, and agonist (carbachol, norepinephrine, serotonin, and KCL) mediated contractile responses were evaluated in the organ bath system. As a result of our study, chronic administration of fluoxetine, venlafaxine, and imipramine to rats altered carbachol- and KCl-mediated contractile responses and noradrenaline- and serotonin-mediated raxation responses in esophageal segments and gastroesophageal sphincter compared to control. It was evaluated that structural differences in smooth muscle segments and various mechanisms involved in the regulation of contractile responses may have played a role in the contractile response changes observed in different smooth muscle segments at different agonist concentrations. Key Words: esophagus, isolated organ bath, imipramine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, contractility, smooth muscle.