In vitro effect of antipsychotics on brain energy metabolism parameters in the brain of rats

Typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs have been shown to have different clinical, biochemical and behavioural profiles. It is well described that impairment of metabolism, especially in the mitochondria, leads to oxidative stress and neuronal death and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases in the brain. In this context, we investigated the in vitro effect of antipsychotic drugs on energy metabolism parameters in the brain of rats.

Clozapine (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml), olanzapine (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml) and aripiprazole (0.05, 0.15 and 0.3 mg/ml) were suspended in buffer and added to the reaction medium containing rat tissue homogenates and the respiratory chain complexes, succinate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase (CK) activities were evaluated.

Our results showed that olanzapine and aripriprazole increased the activities of respiratory chain complexes. On the other hand, complex IV activity was inhibited by clozapine, olanzapine and aripriprazole. CK activity was increased by clozapine at 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml in prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, striatum, hippocampus and posterior cortex of rats. Moreover, olanzapine and aripiprazole did not affect CK activity.

In this context, if the hypothesis that metabolism impairment is involved in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders is correct and these results also occur in vivo, we suggest that olanzapine may reverse a possible diminution of metabolism.