The role of trazodone metabolism in its inhibitory action on avoidance response.

To assess the role of trazodone metabolism in its depressant action on conditioned avoidance response we investigated whether in the mouse brain 3-chlorophenylpiperazine (CPP) is formed from trazodone, whether trazodone metabolism is affected by a drug metabolism inhibitor, proadifen, and how trazodone, CPP and their combinations act on avoidance responses in proadifen-pretreated mice. It was found that CPP is formed from trazodone in mice, that proadifen inhibits trazodone metabolism, and that the moderate and transient inhibitory effect of trazodone on avoidance responses is dramatically potentiated and prolonged in proadifen-pretreated mice. This effect, and inhibition of unconditioned escape response observed in mice receiving lower doses of trazodone after proadifen pretreatment, were counteracted by CPP. The results indicate that the inhibitory action of trazodone on avoidance response is caused by the parent compound, and that it is brief and moderate because of the rapid metabolism of the drug with formation of CPP which counteracts the depressant effect of the parent compound.