Acute toxicity profile of maprotiline in the rat

The aim of the present study was to examine the toxic effects of single oral administrations of the antidepressant maprotiline at 150 mg kg or 300 mg kg using female Sprague-Dawley rats. Body-weight gain was significantly reduced in the group receiving 300 mg kg on days 1-5 of the study (P0.01). A significant reduction in food and water intake was observed on days 1 and 2 of the study (P0.01) in the 300 mg kg group and on day 1 in the 150 mg kg group (P0.05). There was a significant decrease in nocturnal home cage activity over the first five days of the study in the 300 mg kg group (P0.01). A significant hypothermic response was observed in both 150 and 300 mg kg groups at 1, 2 and 4 hr after dosing (P0.01), that had returned to control values within 8 hr following administration. This study demonstrates that a multi-parameter approach is appropriate for the investigation of high doses of antidepressants in rodents.