The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is formed by the capillary endothelial cells, joined together by tight junctions, with transporter proteins. BBB acts to regulate the brain concentrations of substances including many drugs. Transport across the cells is necessary for a drug to ensure that the drug reaches the site of action and transport proteins such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp; ABCB1) can limit the entrance into various tissues, including the brain.

Molecules that are not superimposable on their mirror images and thus exist in two enantiomeric forms (enantiomers) are said to be chiral. A racemic compound is one composed of a 50:50 mixture of two enantiomers, S- and R-enantiomers. Two examples of frequently prescribed racemic drugs are the chiral antidepressants venlafaxine (VEN) and citalopram (CIT). The enantiomers of VEN possess different pharmacodynamic profiles where the R-enantiomer is a potent inhibitor of both serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake (SNRI), while the S-enantiomer is more selective in inhibiting serotonin reuptake (SSRI). The SSRI effect of CIT resides in the S-enantiomer, whereas the R-enantiomer is considered to be therapeutically inactive, or even that it counteracts the effects. The S-enantiomer of CIT is now available as a separate SSRI (escitalopram, EsCIT). VEN and CIT are also among the most commonly found drugs in forensic autopsy cases.

Few previous studies have examined a possible enantioselective activity of P-gp. Thus, the general aim of this thesis was to study the enantiomeric distribution of chiral antidepressant drugs, focusing on the role of P-gp in the BBB. For this purpose, a mouse model disrupted of the genes coding for P-gp (abcb1ab (-/-) mice) was used. Brain and serum concentrations of the enantiomers of VEN and CIT, and their major metabolites, were compared to the corresponding wild-type mice (abcb1ab (+/+) mice). The open-field locomotor and rearing activities were examined after chronic VEN administration. In addition to the animal studies, genetic and toxicological aspects of P-gp were studied in a forensic autopsy material, where intoxication cases were compared with cases that were not related to intoxications.

The brain to serum concentration ratios for VEN, CIT and EsCIT differed between knockout mice and wild-type mice, with 2-3 fold higher brain concentrations in mice with no expression of P-gp. Hence, all studied drugs, and their major metabolites, were substrates for P-gp. There was no evidence for a stereoselective P-gp mediated transport. The P-gp substrate properties were reflected in the open-field behavior test where the knockout mice displayed increased center activity compared with wild-type mice following chronic VEN exposure. The genotype distribution of ABCB1 SNPs C1236T, G2677T and C3435T in VEN positive cases was significantly (or borderline) different between the intoxication cases and the non-intoxication cases. This difference in genotype distribution was not observed for the CIT positive cases.

To conclude, the present work has led to an increased knowledge about how the enantiomers of VEN and CIT are affected by the BBB transporter P-gp. Using an animal model, VEN and CIT have proved to be actively transported out of the brain by P-gp and no difference was observed for the enantiomers with regard to P-gp transport. Further, the ABCB1 genotype distribution was different in intoxication cases compared with non-intoxication cases. Taken together, these findings offer the possibility that the expression of P-gp in humans may be a contributing factor for limited treatment response and increased risk of side-effects following antidepressant drug treatment.