Effects of different type antidepressants on puberty onset in female rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of paroxetine, bupropion and agomelatine, classified in different antidepressants group, on onset of puberty in female rats. Also, the effects of these antidepressants on feeding, weight change, serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol and leptin hormone levels and reproductive organs were evaluated. For the experimental studies, totally 40 female Sprague Dawley rats were used. All animals were randomly divided into four groups (control, paroxetine, bupropion and agomelatine) and each group consisted of 10 rats. The animals started to receive daily oral paroxetine (3.6 mg/kg), bupropion (17 mg/kg) and agomelatine (10 mg/kg) from post-natal day 21 to 90 day. Similarly, the control group received only physiological saline. Along treatment, vaginal opening (VO), morphological sign of the puberty in female rats, was evaluated and the animals were monitored daily food and water intake and body weight gain in all groups. End of the experiment, serum LH, FSH, estradiol and leptin levels were measured and also histopathological examination of uterine and ovarian were performed. Chronic oral administration of paroxetine and agomelatine advanced VO compared with control rats. Although not significant, median day of vaginal opening of bupropion-treated group was lower compared with control group. Antidepressants changed food intake and body weight in different days. There was no significant change in serum LH, FSH and leptin levels but there was significant increase in serum estradiol level in agomelatin-treated group compared to control group. In addition, exposure of rats to chronic antidepressants caused several morphological changes in the uterine and ovarian. In conclusion, results of this thesis study first demonstrated that chronic treatment of paroxetine, bupropion and agomelatine its mechanism of action is different and used as antidepressants, have the affecting potential to puberty onset and several reproductive parameters in female rats.