• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 1995

Crude methanolic(80%) extracts from 109 kinds of traditional herbal drugs were randomly screened for inhibitory effects on 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) uptake in primary cultured rat brainstem neurons. Rat brainstem neurons were cultured from embryonic day 14, and maintained for 7-9 days in vitro. Clomipramine (500 nM), a reference drug, decreased 5-HT uptake to 16% of control values. Of the 109 herbal drugs screened, Citri immaturi Pericarpium(靑皮), Coptidis Rhizoma(黃蓮), Cnidii Rhizoma(土川芎) showed the most potent 5-HT uptake inhibiting activities. These herbal drugs, at the concentration of $10{\;}{\mu}g/ml$, inhibited 5-HT uptake 69, 69, and 57% respectively, when inhibition(%) was expressed as a relative value compared to the 500 nM clomipramine-induced inhibition.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.2597-2602
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• 2012

Novel 1,4-substituted piperazine derivatives 5, Series A and B were designed by fragment analysis and molecular modification of 4 selected piperazine-containing compounds which possess antidepressant activity. We synthesized new 39 analogues of Series A and 10 compounds of Series B, respectively. The antidepressant screening against DA, NE, and serotonin neurotransmitter uptake inhibition was carried out using the Neurotransmitter Transporter Uptake Assay Kit. The compounds in Series B showed relatively higher reuptake inhibitory activity for SERT, NET, and DAT than those in Series A. The length of spacer between the central piperazine core and the terminal phenyl ring substituted at the piperazine ring in Series B seems to exert an important role in the activity.