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Individual reports and a few case series have suggested that the antihypertensive angiotensin-converting–enzyme (ACE) inhibitors like captopril has antidepressant properties. Researchers in China examined possible antidepressant effects of two ACE inhibitors at various dosages in mouse models of depression.
Higher doses of intraperitoneal captopril within the human dosage range were accompanied by measurable captopril levels in blood and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and reduced depression-like and anhedonia-like behaviors. The ACE inhibitor lisinopril had greater penetration into the brain and a more rapid antidepressant effect. The behavioral depression was also associated with reduced serum and mPFC availability of bradykinin (which is …