The Antidepressant Effect of Fluoxetine and Mozart K448 Combination Therapy on Hippocampal Serotonin and BDNF Levels

Despite the use of fluoxetine as a first-line therapy, some patients do not show a good therapeutic effect. Effective antidepressant therapy will reverse the low serotonin and BDNF levels found in depression. Mozart K. 448 was reported to yield a good therapeutic effect for depression. Based on findings, the combination of Mozart K. 448 and fluoxetine as a therapy for depression is very rare. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of the combined therapy of fluoxetine and Mozart K. 448 on hippocampal serotonin and BDNF levels in an animal model of depression under CUMS conditions. In this study, the animal model of depression was administered three different treatments, i.e. fluoxetine, Mozart, or fluoxetine-Mozart combined therapy, respectively. Hippocampal serotonin and BDNF levels were assessed after 21 days of treatment. Statistical analysis was then carried out using T-test or Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis. The fluoxetine-Mozart group has higher BDNF levels, but lower serotonin levels compared to other groups with values of 1,694±0.215 and 44,533±3,275, respectively.