Objective: This study aimed to determine the potential effects of three popular antidepressants: agomelatine, fluoxetine, and sertraline on in vitro rat bladder contraction responses, and to investigate their contribution to overactive bladder syndrome.
Method: Thirty-two adult male Wistar albino rats, weighing between 300–350 g, were randomly divided into four groups (Control, Agomelatine, Fluoxetine, Sertraline). After cervical dislocation, the bladders were promptly removed, cut into 3–4-millimeter strips, and suspended in an isolated organ bath at a tension of 1 gram. Contractions were induced by acetylcholine (ACh) at a concentration of 10-5 M. Cumulative doses of agomelatine, fluoxetine, and sertraline (ranging from 10-8 to 10-3 M) were administered to the organ bath chambers. The least squares means were compared using the Tukey-Kramer post-hoc test to compare the tension values of the groups at different time points.
Results: The inhibition of rat bladder contractions was statistically significant at agomelatine doses of 10-7 M (p=0.0413), 10-6 M (p=0.033), 10-5 M (p=0.003), and 10-4 M (p<0.001), with a statistically significant recontraction response noticed after the agomelatine dose of 10-3 M (p<0.001). Cumulative fluoxetine doses at 10-7 M (p=0.0182), 10-6 M (p=0.0012), and 10-5, 10-4, 10-3 M (all at p<0.001), along with sertraline doses at 10-5 M (p=0.0096), 10-4 M (p=0.001), and 10-3 M (p<0.001), also significantly inhibited contraction.
Conclusion: Agomelatine, fluoxetine, and sertraline were found to exhibit inhibitory effects on bladder contraction in a dose- dependent manner.