Lack of effect of antipsychotics on BNDF and NGF levels in hippocampus of Wistar rats

Schizophrenia is a common and serious mental disorder, in which the majority of patients require long-term antipsychotic treatment. Several studies have suggested that schizophrenia is associated with decreased neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF). Investigation of the mechanisms of pharmacological agents that are used in the treatment of schizophrenia has been used to better understand the basis of the pathology associated with this mental illness. The present study aims to investigate the effect of chronic treatment with antipsychotics, named haloperidol (HAL), clozapine (CLO), olanzapine (OLZ) or aripiprazole (ARI) on BDNF and NGF levels in rat hippocampus. Adult male Wistar rats received daily injections of HAL (1.5 mg/kg), CLO (25 mg/kg), OLZ (2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg) or ARI (2, 10 or 20 mg/kg), whereas control animals were given vehicle. BDNF and NGF levels were measured in rat hippocampus by sandwich-ELISA. The results showed that chronic administration of antipsychotics did not modify BDNF and NGF levels in rat hippocampus, suggesting that their therapeutic properties are not mediated by stimulation of these neurotrophins.