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Serotonin and Norepinephrine Transporter Occupancy of Tramadol in Nonhuman Primate Using Positron Emission Tomography
Ryosuke Arakawa1, Akihiro Takano1, Christer Halldin1
1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
Background:
Tramadol, a centrally acting analgesic drug, has relatively high affinity to serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter in addition to μ-opioid receptor. Based on this characteristic, tramadol is expected to have an antidepressant effect.
Methods:
Positron emission tomography measurements with [11C]MADAM and [18F]FMeNER-D2 were performed at baseline and after i.v. administration of 3 different doses (1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) of tramadol using 6 cynomolgus monkeys. The relationship between dose and occupancy for serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter was estimated.
Results:
Tramadol occupied similarly both serotonin transporter (40%-72%) and norepinephrine transporter (7%-73%) in a dose-dependent manner. The Kd was 2.2 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg for serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter, respectively.
Conclusions:
Both serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter of in vivo brain were blocked at >70% at a clinically relevant high dose of tramadol. This study suggests tramadol has potential antidepressant effects through the inhibition of serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter in the brain.
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