EN
The effect of antidepressant drugs on tumour progress in animals models of stress is very poorly recognized. Further more a role of susceptibility to stress in modulatory effect of antidepressant drug on tumour growth have not been studied. The aim of present study was to establish the effect of individual reactivity to stress and prophylactic two weeks desipramine administration on metastatic colonization of MADB 106 cells in lungs of Wistar rats. Rats were subjected by three weeks to chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression and high-reactive and non-reactive rats were selected. Three months after CMS termination high-reactive and non-reactive animals were further subdivided: for two additional weeks the rats received daily injection of desipramine or saline. Tumor cells were injected two hours after last desipramine or saline administration. In stress-reactive, vehicle treated rats increase of number of lung metastasis in comparison to stress non-reactive, vehicle treated rats were observed. On the other hand chronic desipramine pretreatment signifi cantly increased survival rate and diminished number of lung metastasis in stress-sensitive animals although did not show such effect in stressresistant animals. Increase in rate of animal survival and decrease in lung metastasis can be connected with stimulatory effect of chronic desipramine pretreatment on NK cell activity. This study was supported by grant N40109732/2074 from Poland’s MS and HE.