Effect of desipramine on inositol phosphate formation and inositol phospholipids in rat brain and human platelets.

To examine the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs, we studied the effect of desipramine (DMI) in vitro on agonist-stimulated inositol phosphate formation and inositol phospholipids in rat brain and human platelets. We observed that DMI inhibited thrombin-stimulated 3H-inositol bisphosphate (IP2) and 3H-inositol trisphosphate (IP3) but not 3H-inositol monophosphate (IP1) formation in human platelets. DMI also inhibited norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) stimulated 3H-IP1 formation in rat cerebral cortex. DMI increased levels of all three 3H-inositol phospholipids, 3H-phosphatidyl inositol (PI), 3H-PI-4-phosphate (PIP), and 3H-PI 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), in both platelets and rat cortex. The decreased formation of inositol phosphates and increased levels of [3H]-PI, [3H]-PIP, and [3H]-PIP2 by DMI appears to be due to the inhibition of the enzyme phospholipase C rather than its effects on receptors. It is thus possible that interaction of tricyclic antidepressant drugs with the PI-signaling system may be related to their mechanism of action.