Behavioural teratology of some centrally acting drugs.

Behavioural teratological effects of prenatal fluoxetine exposure were investigated on elevated plus maze and elevated zero maze parameters of anxiety in rats. Pregnant rats were administered fluoxetine (5 and 10 mg/kg/day) orally once a day during the gestation days 13 to 20. The pups born were subjected to elevated plus maze and elevated zero maze tests at 9 weeks of age. The results indicated that maternal fluoxetine treatment (5 and 10 mg/kg/day) induced dose dependent significant decrease in time spent and entries made by rat offspring in open arms of elevated plus maze; and fluoxetine 10 mg treatment also induced significant increase in time spent and entries made by rat offspring in enclosed arms of elevated plus maze. Maternal fluoxetine treatment also caused dose dependent decrease in time spent in open arms and stretched attend postures made by rat offspring in elevated zero maze. The findings demonstrate that maternal fluoxetine treatment caused enhanced anxiogenic behaviour patterns the rat offspring.