Long-term treatment with zimelidine leads to a reduction in 5-hydroxytryptamine neurotransmission within the central nervous system of the mouse and rat.

Male rats and mice received a 14 day peroral treatment with zimelidine, a novel antidepressant drug. Zimelidine produced a 70 and 60% reduction in the number of high affinity [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and [3H]D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) binding sites, respectively, and induced low affinity binding sites for [3H]5-HT and for [3H]D-LSD. The head twitch behaviour induced by 5-hydroxytryptophan and 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine was attenuated and reductions of prolactin and growth hormone were observed. These findings give further evidence that long-term treatment with zimelidine can produce a reduction of 5-HT neurotransmission in several brain regions.