Effect of tryptophan on the behavior of nonstressed and stressed mice in Porsolt's swim test.

The effect of tryptophan on immobility in Porsolt's swim test was studied in male NIH Swiss mice. Preexposure to a swim or fight-stressor was included in the design. Doses of tryptophan (0, 12.5, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 200 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally 60 min prior to the swim test. In the nonstressed mice tryptophan had an U-shaped dose-response relationship: immobility in the water was dose-dependently shortened after doses from 0 to 100 mg/kg, whereas after 125 and 200 mg/kg tryptophan the immobility times did not differ from the values obtained after a saline injection. Preexposure to a swim- or fight-stressor did not make mice more sensitive to the effects of tryptophan. Tryptophan (0-300 mg/kg) had no effect on exploratory behavior or locomotor activity in the holeboard, suggesting that sedation was not a factor in the swim test results. The findings suggest that tryptophan has antidepressant -like properties in Porsolt's swim test.