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Biomedical subjects

G B Baker

Publications and source records attributed to G B Baker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Effects of phenelzine and imipramine on the steady-state levels of mRNAs that encode glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67 and GAD65), the GABA transporter GAT-1 and GABA transaminase in rat cortex.

There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that GABA plays an important role in the therapeutic effects of antidepressant/antipanic drugs. Phenelzine and imipramine are efficacious in the treatment of depression and panic disorder and phenelzine has been reported to elevate GABA levels while imipramine enhances GABA release in rat brains. In the present study, using a multiprobe quantitative solution hybridization assay, we measured the steady-state levels of mRNAs that encode glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67 and GAD65), the GABA transporter GAT-1 and GABA transaminase (GABA-T) in rat cortex after treatment with constant infusion (via osmotic minipumps) of phenelzine or imipramine for a short-term (3 days) or long-term (21 days) period. We found that none of the treatments gave rise to significant changes in the steady-state levels of mRNAs encoding GAD67, GAD65 or GABA-T at any time point. The steady-state levels of GAT-1 mRNA were increased significantly (23%) after long-term, but not by short-term, treatment with phenelzine. Imipramine treatment, short- or long-term, did not alter the steady-state levels of GAT-1 mRNA. These results suggest that the GABA enhancing effects of phenelzine or imipramine in rat cortex do not affect the steady-state levels of mRNAs that encode GAD67, GAD65 and GABA-T. Further, the previously observed increases in GABA levels or GABA release induced by these drugs are probably not a consequence of changes in the expression of these genes.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗
PubMed1998

Neurobiology of panic disorder.

Various provocative agents, including sodium lactate, carbon dioxide (CO2), caffeine, yohimbine, serotoninergic agents, and cholecystokinin (CCK), have been utilized as panicogenics in studies on healthy volunteers as well as in panic disorder patients. An overview of the utilization of these agents to study the neurobiology of panic disorder is presented. The possible roles of several neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the etiology of panic disorder and in the actions of drugs used in its treatment are also discussed.

Caffeine↗
PubMed1997

Rapid, sensitive procedure to determine buspirone levels in rat brains using gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection.

Reported here is a rapid, sensitive and relatively inexpensive procedure using gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (GC-NPD) to quantify buspirone levels in brains of rats. The analyte was directly extracted from brain homogenate with toluene after basification and then subjected to GC-NPD analysis using a capillary column. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 10 to 320 ng per 2 ml of brain homogenate, with typical r2 values >0.99. The assay was highly reproducible and gave peaks with excellent chromatographic properties.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Brain structures involved in the behavioral stimulant effect of central serotonin release.

Drugs such as p-chloroamphetamine or a combination of tranylcypromine and tryptophan release serotonin in the central nervous system and produce a behavioral serotonin syndrome. However, in the presence of methysergide or following destruction of descending spinal serotonergic projections by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, central serotonin release produces hyperlocomotion. This supports the hypothesis that release of serotonin in the brain promotes locomotion but that the expression of this effect can be blocked by concomitant intraspinal effects of serotonin release. Hyperlocomotion induced by serotonin release is attenuated or blocked by: (a) pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine; (b) acute surgical lesions of the basal diencephalon; (c) chronic lesions of the ventromedial midbrain tegmentum by local injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine; and (d) acute surgical decortication. Medial decortication tends to be more effective then lateral decortication. Hyperlocomotion produced by methamphetamine is also attenuated or blocked by acute basal diencephalic lesions or decortication. It is suggested that ascending serotonergic and dopaminergic projections collaborate in the generation of spontaneous voluntary motor activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Determination of p-trifluoromethylphenol, a metabolite of fluoxetine, in tissues and body fluids using an electron-capture gas chromatographic procedure.

An electron-capture gas chromatographic procedure was developed for the analysis of p-trifluoromethylphenol, an O-dealkylated metabolite of fluoxetine, in biological samples. A basic extraction of the biological sample was employed, followed by derivatization with pentafluorobenzenesulfonyl chloride. The internal standard, 2,4-dichlorophenol, was added to all samples used in the procedure to aid in quantitation. The practical limit of detection (signal-to-noise ratio>3) for p-trifluoromethylphenol was <5 ng/ml in human plasma samples, <10 ng/g of rat brain tissue, <25 ng/g of rat liver tissue and <25 ng/ml in human and rat urine samples. In the rat, the levels of free p-trifluoromethylphenol in the liver were 10-fold higher than those in the brain, and a substantial amount was excreted in the urine. Human urine samples contained levels of free p-trifluoromethylphenol approximately 30-fold higher than those found in human plasma samples. The procedure described is useful for the detection and quantitation of free p-trifluoromethylphenol in humans and rats treated with fluoxetine.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A continuous spectrophotometric assay for monoamine oxidase and related enzymes in tissue homogenates.

A continuous, peroxidase-linked spectrophotometric assay is described which is suitable for measuring monoamine and diamine oxidase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activities in tissue homogenates. In the assay, 4-aminoantipyrine is oxidized and then condenses with vanillic acid to give a red quinoneimine dye. The absorbance at 498 nm is proportional to the amount of hydrogen peroxide released in the amine oxidase reaction. The molar absorption coefficient of the dye at pH 7.6 was 4654 M-1 cm-1. The method is suitable for use with any amine oxidase substrate which has a higher oxidation-reduction potential than does 4-aminoantipyrine. Following preincubation of rat liver homogenates with selective monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and -B inhibitors, kinetic constants were obtained for metabolism of the mixed substrate, p-tyramine. Inhibition of MAO in rat liver homogenates was also measured following administration of the antidepressant, phenelzine. This inexpensive assay which employs reagents with low toxicity can thus be used to determine the degree of inhibition of MAO elicited by potential antidepressant and anti-parkinsonian agents. Drugs, their metabolites, and environmental toxins can also be screened as possible amine oxidase substrates or inhibitors, and kinetic constants for turnover of novel substrates can be determined.

Absorption↗
PubMed1997

A rapid and sensitive electron-capture gas chromatographic procedure for analysis of metoprolol in rat brain and heart.

A procedure for analysis of metoprolol-utilizing extraction followed by derivatization with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and analysis on a gas chromatograph equipped with a fused silica capillary column, an electron-capture detector and a printer/integrator is described. Propranolol was carried through the procedure as internal standard. The pentafluoropropionyl derivative of metoprolol yields a sharp peak on the gas chromatograph, and the structure of the derivative was confirmed using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analytical method is linear, sensitive and reproducible and has been applied to analysis of metoprolol in brain and heart from rats treated with metoprolol intraperitoneally. Pretreatment of the rats with the antidepressant desipramine prior to metoprolol administration resulted in a marked increase in levels of metoprolol in both brain and heart, indicating a pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction between desipramine and metoprolol.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Involvement of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 in the metabolism of haloperidol.

1. Human cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes expressed in a human cell line were used to elucidate their involvement in the metabolism of haloperidol (HAL). 2. It was found that CYP3A4 catalyzes the metabolism of HAL to HAL 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (HTP). HTP is further metabolized to HAL pyridinium (HP+) by both CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. 3. CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 are also responsible for the N-dealkylation of HAL. The N-dealkylation of reduced HAL (RH) was observed, which is catalyzed by CYP3A4. In addition, CYP3A4 also catalyzes the oxidation of RH back to HAL. 4. These results are discussed in terms of the metabolic interactions of HAL with other drugs and how this knowledge may be used to reduce the movement disorders induced by HAL.

Biotransformation↗
PubMed1997

Increased density of catalytic sites and expression of brain monoamine oxidase A in humans with hepatic encephalopathy.

Altered biogenic amine metabolism and function are believed to underlie certain of the neuropsychiatric symptoms, e.g., depression, mania, and anxiety, encountered in clinical hepatic encephalopathy (HE). We therefore investigated the activity of the degradative enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and its binding parameters using [3H]Ro 41-1049 (defining MAO-A) and [3H]Ro 19-6327 (Lazabemide; defining MAO-B) in autopsied brain tissue from male cirrhotic patients with HE. The MAO-B parameters in HE patient tissue were not significantly different from those determined for control tissue. In contrast, increases in MAO-A activities in HE patient frontocortical (by approximately 50%) and cerebellar (by approximately 145%) tissues were observed, confirming our previous findings using comparable tissues. Increases in the abundance of the active MAO-A protein were of the same order of magnitude, e.g., in frontal cortex by approximately 85% and in cerebellum by approximately 225%. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction indicated an increase in the level of gene expression (by approximately 155%) and thus offers some of the first evidence of a transcriptional event potentially mediating MAO-A function in human brain tissue. The levels of biogenic amine acid metabolites were increased as expected. As HE patients are most often treated for their hepatic symptoms rather than their neuropsychiatric manifestations, they represent an important "untreated" psychiatric population. The present findings are therefore not only important for our understanding of the pathophysiology of HE but also extremely relevant to our understanding of the pharmacotherapy of other neuropsychiatric disorders in which biogenic amine and MAO-A dysfunction is indicated.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1997

Metabolism of amitriptyline with CYP2D6 expressed in a human cell line.

1. Expressed human cytochrome P450 enzyme CPY2D6 was used to metabolize amitriptyline (AMI). It was established that CYP2D6 not only catalyzed ring 10-hydroxylation of AMI, but also mediated its N-demethylation to nortriptyline (NT), as well as the formation of 10-hydroxy-NT from NT. When the metabolism of AMI by CYP2D6 was repeated in the presence of quinidine, none of the metabolites, 10-hydroxy-AMI, NT and 10-hydroxy-NT, was formed. 2. Biochemical parameters of NT formation from AMI were determined, yielding Km = 47.48 +/- 1.32 microM; Vmax = 3.95 +/- 0.11 nmol/h/mg protein. The same parameters were calculated for the formation of 10-hydroxy-AMI (E + Z-isomers) from AMI, yielding Km = 10.70 +/- 0.20 microM; Vmax = 8.99 +/- 0.47 nmol/h/mg protein. 3. The formation of 10-hydroxy-NT from AMI proceeded primarily via NT and to a much lesser extent via 10-hydroxy-AMI. 4. Quantitative analyses of AMI and its metabolites were difficult to reproduce when the metabolites were analysed underivatized. Two derivatization procedures, acetylation and trifluoroacetylation, were employed to improve assay reproducibility.

Acylation↗
PubMed1997

Impaired neuropsychological functioning in Tourette's syndrome subjects with co-occurring obsessive-compulsive and attention deficit symptoms.

This study examined neuropsychological performance by 92 children with Tourette's syndrome (TS) grouped by the presence or absence of obsessive-compulsive and/or attention deficit symptoms. The identified groups did not differ with respect to age, education, age at onset of TS symptoms, or medication use. After statistical control for complex motor symptoms, impaired performance on measures of achievement and executive functioning was correlated with obsessive and obsessive/attention symptoms, but not with attention symptoms alone. The presence of both obsessive and attention symptoms identified children with impairment across several tasks. Clinical and functional implications are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Determination of 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidine, a metabolite of haloperidol, by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection.

An electron-capture gas chromatographic procedure was developed for the analysis of 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidine (CPHP), a metabolite of haloperidol. The assay involved basic extraction of this metabolite from the biological samples, followed by back-extraction with HCl. After basification of the acid phase, extractive derivatization with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride in toluene was conducted. The pentafluorobenzoyl derivative was quantified on a gas chromatograph equipped with a fused-silica capillary column, an electron-capture detector and a printer-integrator. N-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine was carried through the procedure as an internal standard and calibration curves were determined for each assay run. The procedure was demonstrated to be linear and reproducible and was utilized to detect and quantify CPHP in urine, plasma, brain and liver samples from rats treated with haloperidol. The structure of the derivatized metabolite was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

In vivo biodistribution, pharmacokinetic parameters, and brain uptake of 5-halo-y-methoxy(or ethoxy)-5,6-dihydro-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine diastereomers as potential prodrugs of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine.

A new class of 5-halo-6-alkoxy-5,6-dihydro-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine diastereomers (5-x-6-OR -5,6-dihydro-AZTs; X = I, Br, Cl; R = Me, Et) were evaluated as potential anti-AIDS prodrugs of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythimidine (AZT). In vivo regeneration of AZT from these 5-X-6-OR-5,6-dihydro-AZTs was examined in Balb/c mice after intravenous tail vein injection. The (5R,6R)- and (5S,6S)-5-bromo(or iodo)-6-methoxy-5,6-dihydro derivatives of AZT (BMAZT, IMAZT) were rapidly converted to AZT, resulting in AZT plasma concentrations after a 144 micromol/kg dose similar to those after an equivalent dose (144 microg/kg, 38.5 mg/kg) of AZT, whereas AZT was not detectable by HPLC after the same dose of the chloro diastereomer (5R,6R)-CMAZT. The interaction of AZT and the 5-X-6-methoxy-5,6dihydro-AZT diastereomers with the 6-[(4-nitrobenzyl)thio]-9-beta-D-ribofuranosylpurine equilibrative-sensitive nucleoside transporter in murine erythrocytes was also studied. The (5R,6R)- and (5S,6S)-5-X-6-OMe-5,6-dihydro-AZT diastereomers demonstrated a high affinity (K(i) = 0.2-0.5 mM) for the transporter relative to AZT (K(i) = 1.3 mM), with the exception of (5S,6R)-5-chloro-6-methoxy-5,6-dihydro-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (CMAZT) which has a K(i) value larger than 1.5 mM. [2-(14)C]-Labeled (5R,6R)- and (5S,6S)-5-bromo-6-methoxy(or ethoxy)- 5,6-dihydro-3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidines were synthesized by the regiospecific addition of methyl hypobromite or ethyl hypobromite to the 5,6-olefinic bond of [2-(14)C]-AZT in high radiochemical yield [(5R,6R)-BMAZT, 48%, and (5S,6S)-BMAZT, 33%; (5R,6R)-BEAZT, 61%, and (5S,6S)-BEAZT, 15%), high radiochemical purity (>98%), and high specific activity (56mCi/mmol)]. The amounts of radioactivity in mouse brain after iv injection of [2-(14))C]-labeled (5R,6R)-BMAZT, (5S,6S)-BMAZT, or (5R,6R)-BEAZT were 2-4 fold higher that that for [2-(14)C]-AZT (P < 0.05). The radioactivity remaining in blood after dosing with these 5-bromo-6-alkoxy-5,6-dihydro-AZTs was up to 20-fold higher than after injection of [2-(14)C]-AZT at longer time intervals after injection. The amounts of radioactivity present in femoral bone following injection of [2(-14)C]-AZT, or these 5-bromo-6-alkoxy-5,6-dihydro-AZTs, were similar. Subcellular and regional distributions of [2-(14)C]-labeled AZT, (5R,6R)-BMAZT, or (5R,6R)-BEAZT in mouse brain after jugular vein injection did not show preferential concentration in any particular subcellular fraction nor a marked preferential regional localization for either AZT or these 5,6-dihydro prodrugs of AZT.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

Glutamate receptor agonists decrease extracellular dopamine in the rat nucleus accumbens in vivo.

Intracerebral microdialysis was used to investigate the effects of local application of L-glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate, and the glutamate uptake inhibitor 1-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) on extracellular dopamine (DA) concentrations. The effects of locally applied PDC on extracellular glutamate concentrations were also examined. Glutamate produced a concentration-dependent decrease in extracellular DA that could be blocked by concurrent, local application of the broad spectrum ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid (KYN:1 mM). N-Methyl-D-aspartate had a concentration-dependent effect on DA release, with a low concentration (0.1 mM) producing a decrease and a higher concentration (1.0 mM) resulting in an increase. Both effects were blocked by KYN. PDC (1 mM) increased extracellular glutamate concentrations to 102% above baseline. The same concentration of PDC decreased extracellular DA concentrations, and coapplication of KYN attenuated this effect. These results indicate that glutamate receptor agonists can have both facilitatory and inhibitory effects on extracellular DA concentrations. However, the effects of PDC indicate that inhibition of DA release is the more physiologically relevant effect. Furthermore, the results of these and other experiments suggest that glutamate's inhibitory effects on DA release in the NAc are not due to direct actions of this excitatory amino acid on DA terminals. A multisynaptic model that accounts for glutamate's actions on DA release is proposed.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Inhibition of rat brain monoamine oxidase enzymes by fluoxetine and norfluoxetine.

Fluoxetine and its primary metabolite, norfluoxetine, are inhibitors of neuronal uptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine. While fluoxetine has also been reported to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) in vitro at concentrations much lower than those measured in brain following chronic fluoxetine treatment, neurochemical profiles are not consistent with substantial MAO inhibition in vivo. In an attempt to explain this inconsistency, we have examined the interactions of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine with rat brain MAO-A and -B by a radiochemical assay method. Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were competitive inhibitors of MAO-A in vitro, with Ki values of 76.3 microM and 90.5 microM, respectively. Both compounds were non-competitive or uncompetitive inhibitors of MAO-B in vitro. Inhibition of MAO-B was time-dependent and was very slowly reversible by dialysis. IC50 values versus metabolism of 50 microM beta-phenylethylamine were 17.8 microM (fluoxetine) and 18.5 microM (norfluoxetine). Analysis of the time-dependence of MAO-B inhibition by fluoxetine revealed that an initial competitive interaction between the enzyme and the inhibitor (Ki 245 microM) was followed by tight-binding enzyme inactivation (K(inact) 0.071 min-1). Following administration of fluoxetine (20 mg kg-1 day-1) for 7 days, the cortical concentration of fluoxetine + norfluoxetine was estimated by gas-liquid chromatography to be 700 microM. Such drug treatment reduced MAO-A activity by 23% in 1:8 (w/v) cortical homogenates, but not in 1:80 homogenates. Inhibition of MAO-B in 1:8 homogenates was modest (12%) and was not significantly reduced by homogenate dilution. The concentration of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid, measured by high pressure liquid chromatography, was reduced by 47% in cortices from drug-treated rats, while concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine, noradrenaline, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid were unchanged. These results suggest that, following chronic drug administration leading to relatively high tissue concentrations of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine, inhibition of either form of MAO would be restricted by competition for the enzyme with intraneuronal amine substrates.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Anti-serotonergic effects of urethane and chloral hydrate may not be mediated by a blockade of 5-HT2 receptors. Short communication.

The general anesthetics urethane and chloral hydrate have profound anti-serotonergic effects both in the rat cortex in vivo and the rat aortic ring in vitro. The suggestion that these effects may be due to an action on 5-HT2 receptors was tested using ex vivo and in vitro [3H]ketanserin binding assays with membrane-enriched fractions from rat brain. Urethane did not alter [3H]ketanserin binding in the ex vivo assay. In the in vitro assay, urethane, chloral hydrate, and its active metabolite 2,2,2-trichloroethanol produced slight reductions (of 16%, 9%, and 18%, respectively) of [3H]ketanserin binding. These studies suggest that anti-serotonergic effects of urethane and chloral hydrate may not be mediated by a blockade of 5-HT2 receptors.

Anesthetics, Intravenous↗
PubMed1996

The antidepressant drug phenelzine produces antianxiety effects in the plus-maze and increases in rat brain GABA.

Research on the effects of antidepressant/ antipanic drugs in animal models of anxiety has yielded equivocal results, even after chronic drug regimens. In contrast, we found that the antidepressant/antipanic drug phenelzine, given acutely, produced a clear anxiolytic effect in the elevated plus-maze, a widely-used animal model of "anxiety" that is primarily sensitive to benzodiazepine-type anxiolytics (e.g., diazepam). Furthermore, the effective dose of phenelzine (15 mg/kg) administered to rats was associated with more than a 2- fold increase in whole brain levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), whereas an ineffective dose of phenelzine (5.1 mg/kg) did not significantly change GABA levels. The N-acetylated metabolite of phenelzine, N2-acetylphenelzine, produced neither an anxiolytic effect in the elevated plus-maze nor a significant change in whole-brain levels of GABA. However, both phenelzine and N2-acetylphenelzine potently inhibited monoamine oxidase, a mechanism commonly thought to be involved in the therapeutic effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as phenelzine in the treatment of depression in humans. These results suggest that the mechanism whereby phenelzine produces anxiolytic effects in the plus-maze model is unique to a facilitatory action on brain levels of GABA, in contrast to classical benzodiazepines, which produce anxiolytic effects by enhancing the affinity of the GABAA-receptor for GABA.

Animals↗