Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Pharmacology

Background: Post-menopausal females are categorized as a high risk group for osteoporosis, depression and major cardiovascular events. Although several drugs are currently used for treatment of depression, these drugs are known to alleviate the symptoms but have some limitations owing to their severe side effects and their cardioprotective effects are not well established. Consequently, looking for new agents that are equally or more effective and cause fewer side effects is urgently needed. The aim of this work: was to study the possible protective and therapeutic effects of exenatide on experimentally induced osteoporosis, depression and myocardial infarction in adult ovariectomized female albino rats. Methods: Forty eight mature female albino rats, matched for age and weight (150-250 gm) were used. Osteoporosis and depression were experimentally induced by bilateral ovriectomy (OVX) and leaving the animals for 6 weeks without treatment. Rats were divided into 4 groups.Group-I (Sham group) was exposed to Sham opertion, ovariectomized (OVX) group-II [OVX non treated], prophylactic exenatide group-III (received prophylactic exenetide (1og/kg/d SC) for 6 weeks following OVX) and group IV (OVX + treatment for 8 weeks). Group IV was sudivided into 3 subgroups, group-IVa (treated by vitamin D 0.25æg/day orally for 5 days per week), IVb (treated by fluoxetine 10 mg/kg/day orally) and IVc (treated by exenatide1og/kg/d SC). Assesment of depression was done by recording active swimming time (AST) in forced swimming test (FST) and, ambulation score (AS) and rearing number (RN), in open field tests OFT

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