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Valproic acid, beside its anticonvulsant action, is widely used as a mood stabilizer in the therapy of bipolar disorder. The potential antidepressant action of valproic acid has not been sufficiently characterized so far. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antidepressant effect of valproic acid in an aldosterone model of depression. Subchronic treatment with valproic acid resulted in a reduction of the time spent in immobility in the forced swim test. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence on antidepressant effects of valproic acid using a classical behavioral approach for testing the efficacy of antidepressant drug in animal models.

Hypomethylating agent decitabine is being used in the treatment of certain types of leukaemia in combination with other anticancer drugs. Aberrant DNA methylation has been suggested to occur in pathological states including depression. Scarce data in male rats suggest antidepressant effects of decitabine. The main aim of our studies is to test the hypothesis that the inhibition of DNA methylation results in antidepressant effects in female rats. Before doing so, we decided to verify the effects of decitabine on DNA methylation in females. The findings demonstrate that the treatment with decitabine at the dose shown previously to inhibit DNA methylation in males, had no effect on total DNA methylation in two brain regions, namely the hippocampus and frontal cortex of female rats. In conclusion, the present study allows us to suggest that the effect of decitabine on DNA methylation in the brain is sex dependent.