Results
Marked paw oedema was produced in rats with sub-planter injection of 0.1 ml of 1 per cent carrageenan. Mean paw oedema in the control rats was 2.4±0.15 ml (Table II). Venlafaxine (40 mg/kg) and fluoxetine showed significant reduction (P<0.05) in paw oedema compared to control group. However, in the groups treated with amitryptyline and venlafaxine 20 mg/kg, no significant decrease in oedema was observed as compared to control group (Table II). Pretreatment of rats with prazosin alone resulted in mean paw oedema of 2.7±0.20 ml. Addition of prazosin to fluoxetine, venlafaxine (20 and 40 mg/kg) and amitryptline groups did not influence oedema significantly in comparison to control.
Table II  Effect of various drugs on paw oedema in rats   Mean BP was recorded on days 0, 7 and 14 (Table III). Mean BP was 126.7±4.2 mmHg on day 0 in group administered with venlafaxine (40 mg/kg), on day 7 recorded mean BP was 155.2±9.7 mmHg. The change in mean BP was significant (P<0.05). Mean BP on day 14 (145.7±7.5 mmHg) was significantly different as compared to mean BP of day 7 (P<0.05). Similarly, in the group administered with fluoxetine, significant change in mean BP (143.5±2.6 to 158.3±1.2 mmHg) was observed on day 7 (P<0.05) and day 14 (P<0.05). In groups administered with venlafaxine (20 mg/kg) and amitryptline, no significant difference in mean BP was observed.
Table III  Effect of drug treatment on mean blood pressure (mm Hg)   Mean ulcer index in control rats was 0.18±0.09. Rats pretreated with fluxoteine (0.37±0.08), amitryptline (0.25±0.09) and two doses of venlafaxine (0.56±0.2, 0.37±0.08) did not show significant difference in mean ulcer index as compared to control group.