We investigated the in vitro effects of amitriptyline, fluoxetine, tianeptine, ketamine, lithium, valproate, olanzapine, chlorpromazine and propranolol on mitochondrial respiration in crude mitochondrial fraction of pig brains. Antidepressants, but not mood stabilizers, ketamine and propranolol, were found to inhibit mitochondrial respiratory rate.
Our findings suggest that mood stabilizers do not interfere with brain mitochondrial respiration, whereas direct mitochondrial targeting of psychopharmacologically different antidepressants is probably involved in their mechanisms of action.