Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: August 11, 2021
Mirtazapine enantiomers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid
Pierre Baumann1, Michèle Jonzier-Perey, Erik Paus
1Unité de biochimie et psychopharmacologie clinique, Centre de neurosciences psychiatriques, DP-CHUV, Prilly-Lausanne, Suisse. pierre.baumann@chuv.ch
Abstract:
Little information exists on the concentrations of recent antidepressants and their metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Using a stereoselective method, we measured plasma and CSF levels of mirtazapine (MIR), N-demethylmirtazapine and 8-OH-MIR in 3 depressed patients treated with racemic MIR (45 mg/day) for 4 weeks. S-(+)-MIR is considered to be the antidepressant enantiomer, but only R-(-)-MIR reached measurable concentrations in CSF. For R-(-)-MIR, the CSF/plasma ratio varied between 0.08 and 0.31. Further studies are needed to test the hypothesis that there are possible differences in the transport mechanisms of the enantiomers of MIR at the blood-CSF barrier.
More Related Videos
12:21Thermostabilization, Expression, Purification, and Crystallization of the Human Serotonin Transporter Bound to S-citalopram
Published on: November 27, 2016
07:02A Computerized Test Battery to Study Pharmacodynamic Effects on the Central Nervous System of Cholinergic Drugs in Early Phase Drug Development
Published on: February 11, 2019
Related Concept Videos
02:30Racemic Mixtures and the Resolution of Enantiomers
02:24Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
00:58¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Enantiotopic and Diastereotopic Protons
In chiral compounds such as 2-butanol, replacing the methylene hydrogens at C3 produces a pair of...
01:23Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
02:32Stereoisomers
01:17Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...