3.3. Effect of α-aminovalerophenone derivatives on HLA
One-way ANOVA of HLA results revealed a significant effect of the variable Dose for all the drugs tested ([pentedrone], (F(3,34)=22.7); [N-ethyl-pentedrone], (F(3.36)=98.42); [N,N-diethyl-pentedrone], (F(3,36)=52.89); [α-PVP], (F(3,40)=72.09); [α-PpVP], (F(3,36)=12.01). Overall, all compounds increased HLA in a dose-dependent manner in mice (Figure 2).
For pentedrone and α-PpVP, subsequent post-hoc Tukey-Kramer test demonstrated a significant increase in HLA after 10 and 30 mg kg-1 (pentedrone) and 25 and 75 mg kg-1 (α-PpVP) injections, respectively, compared to the saline group. As for N-ethyl-pentedrone (3 and 10 mg kg-1), N,N-diethyl-pentedrone (12.5 and 35 mg kg-1) and α-PVP (3 and 10 mg kg-1), a similar increase in the hyperlocomotion was observed when compared with the control group with the highest dose tested showing significant difference in locomotion when compared to the second highest concentration.
When analysing the locomotor activity induced by the medium doses tested of each α-aminovalerophenone derivative, one-way ANOVA yielded no significant effect of the variable Compound (F(4,46)=0.8724), which means that the medium doses used in this study were equally effective. Therefore, α-PVP and N-ethyl-pentedrone elicited the same locomotor response at a dose of 3 mg kg-1, while pentedrone and N,N-diethyl-pentedrone induced the same effect at doses of 10 and 12.5 mg kg-1, respectively and α-PpVP produced it at 25 mg kg-1. Consequently, the rank order of potency according to the doses used in this is study for eliciting hyperlocomotion was α-PVP = N-ethyl-pentedrone > pentedrone > N,N-diethyl-pentedrone > α-PpVP.