Chronic Oral Haloperidol and Clozapine in Rats: A Behavioral Evaluation
Ulrich Schmitt, Norbert Dahmen, Viola Fischer, Harald Weigmann, Marie Luise Rao, Stefan Reuss, Christoph Hiemke
Abstract
Ulrich Schmitt, Norbert Dahmen, Viola Fischer, Harald Weigmann, Marie Luise Rao, Stefan Reuss, Christoph Hiemke
Abstract
The present study evaluated chronic oral treatment of rats with haloperidol or clozapine. Drugs were given in the drinking water for a 23-day period. Rat behavior was analyzed once a week in an open field. Rats ingested either 1.7 mg/kg haloperidol or 40 mg/kg clozapine daily. Blood serum analysis revealed concentrations of 6 ng/ml for haloperidol and 22 ng/ml for clozapine at the end of the treatment. Haloperidol decreased overall activity from the onset of treatment. Clozapine showed similar effects only on the last test day. Control animals showed a slight habituation in exploration-related parameters. In conclusion, these results indicate that oral drug administration through the drinking water is a suitable mode of noninvasive chronic treatment that led to sufficiently high drug levels to induce specific pharmacological effects in rats.
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The present study evaluated chronic oral treatment of rats with haloperidol or clozapine. Drugs were given in the drinking water for a 23-day period. Rat behavior was analyzed once a week in an open field. Rats ingested either 1.7 mg/kg haloperidol or 40 mg/kg clozapine daily. Blood serum analysis revealed concentrations of 6 ng/ml for haloperidol and 22 ng/ml for clozapine at the end of the treatment. Haloperidol decreased overall activity from the onset of treatment. Clozapine showed similar effects only on the last test day. Control animals showed a slight habituation in exploration-related parameters. In conclusion, these results indicate that oral drug administration through the drinking water is a suitable mode of noninvasive chronic treatment that led to sufficiently high drug levels to induce specific pharmacological effects in rats.
Key concepts: Haloperidol, Clozapine, Habituation, Pharmacology, Open field, Oral administration, Medicine, Drug